Ad Infinitum
by Phoenix Takaramono
Summary: Set immediately after episode 26, Mykage is expelled from Aquarion LOVE and Fudo Zen accepts responsibility. Questions are answered, 24,000 years worth of history is rewritten, and old and new bonds are forged. Vega and Altair are also in great need of reconstruction. But what's this promised vow of wings? MAIN PAIRING: Apollonius/Mykage, SIDE PAIRINGS: currently undecided
1. Prologue

**(A/N)-** …Toma, you poor bastard. You get a sympathy ficlet from me.

After watching the finale, well, it's not to say I wanted to flip over a desk like the majority of the fandom, but overall I was okay with it. Although everything was rushed, everyone alive so far was happy. Hell, even the gay Shadow Angel sorta got his happy ending! He's mainly the reason why I watched the sequel. Then when I found out he was the manifestation of a sliver of Toma's soul and reincarnated!Apollonius was Zen…well, shit, congratulations Yuichi Nakamura, Mykage's seiyuu. I've never felt this much pity for a fictional anime character so my hat's off to you for all the emotion you poured into him. All these 24,000 years of dedicated yet unrequited love and all this heartache…shit. I hope Apollonius was worth all the feels. You should've moved on.

Honestly I am simply a bit unsatisfied with episode 26's pacing and the way Mykage got his so-called-happy ending. So here's my continuation of Aquarion EVOL, set immediately after episode 26. Undoubtedly, I don't own the show, but I want to write something that doesn't leave a slightly sour taste to my mouth. This plotbunny refuses to leave me alone until I breathe it life.

Warning, this will not be updated constantly until after the first book of my trilogy is finished so hiatuses are to be expected. Also, this story is heavily centered around Mykage Towano and Zen Fudo. I'll incorporate the anime's other characters to nudge the plot along but I will not promise to keep its pairings canon. I've tolerated the show's final pairings but…after Jin's death I've stopped watching Aquarion EVOL and all I know about the rest of the episodes barring episode 26 is based off of tumblr, myanimelist, and animesuki posts. Hence my knowledge of the show is spotty at best and heavily reliant on its prequel and OVAs...to which Kawamori then revealed that basically everything before was bogus.

* * *

**Ad Infinitum**

_(To infinity…)_

_Prologue  
_

* * *

"_Curse you!"_ Mykage snarled, digging his nails into his sleeves. He desperately tried to maneuver his body back to Vega, twisting his mutinous limbs this way and that, but it was not meant to be. His breathing increased into panicked, harsh pants the further Vega diminished in size and the dark, midnight cover of the universe shrouded him. Stars and asteroids rushed by him, and a blanket of blue heat had enveloped him since his forced ejection from the Legendary Aquarion and his breach into the atmosphere. As his incorporeal body was flung further and further into the cosmos, rage coursed through his veins, boiling his blood to a volatile temperature. He gripped the front of his robes, pressing against the spot where his chest stung the most. The beam of pink light which had stabbed the harlot's chest penetrated his. Frustrated tears gathered at the edges of his vision but he would not let them fall.

No. No. No. No. His revenge...Apollonius…that harlot! That incomplete, pathetic excuse of a pet! _"This cannot end here. I need…I need…." _

His indigo eyes squeezed shut and his head shook back and forth. What did he need? What had made his carefully-crafted plans finally advance in the first place? That girl…Zessica Wong, the chosen Wingless One that had originally housed him...it was as if a mist had cleared from his head. He fisted his hands. _"I need…I just need another body."_ However, that was near to nigh impossible considering he was orbiting space now.

He needed to get back and reverse the disaster as soon as possible, while there was still time to undo all his mistakes. Aquarion LOVE, he wanted to spit on it. He wanted to open his lips and sing to his heart's content, unleashing hell on Vega and Altair. More importantly, he wanted to see Apollonius' face when he crushed all that he held dear. He'd relish the pain and anguish and regret that he'd cause his former lover. Maybe that'd teach him to abandon their engagement for a mere Wingless harlot and betray him not once but twice over the span of 24,000 years.

His bloodshot eyes shot open and zeroed in on the back of a tall figure casually standing on one of the asteroids. Mykage's breath whooshed out into an elated gasp. What fortune! What luck! Retribution was within his grasps. Destiny foretold his success. Summoning all his remaining strength, he pushed against the gravitational force by his sheer will alone, directing his course forward, not in reverse. Sweat ran down his back, plastering the purple fabric of his garment to his skin like a disgusting adhesive.

Mine…mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. The word replayed in his mind with obsessive intensity. The speck of a figure grew bigger and bigger. He was not going fast enough. He felt like he was wading through quicksand. His vibrant wings unfurled from his hair, and they added more velocity with each forceful flap. _"You!"_

Shooting his hands out, he smiled in triumph when his nails sunk in through the creature's vest, in the spot between the Wingless' shoulder blades, as if he had simply pierced through a mirage. He wanted to laugh at how easy it was for him to acquire another body. This time he needed no manipulation.

His body overlapped with the Wingless creature and he quickly laid his forehead against the back of the long, auburn locks. A frown upset his face when the Wingless, predictably, had tensed up momentarily upon awareness of the possession but, unpredictably, almost immediately relaxed, like the inferior being was resigned to his fate. What a clever, curious creature. He almost felt sorry for it. Almost. The last thing Mykage had been aware of before his conscious blended with the Wingless One was an enticingly spicy, sweet smell and then blue, the color of the purest seas of Earth when the whales were the populace, wetly shattered in his vision.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, Mykage found himself kneeling on a canvass of impenetrable black that stretched on for miles and miles. He pushed himself up on two shaky arms and swiveled his head around to take in the empty mindscape. A few strands of his avian hair fell into his eyesight and he impatiently brushed them back. This was the first time he'd seen such barrenness in a Wingless' mind.

When he had possessed the green-haired Element user, he entertained himself briefly by redecorating the girl's Chinese-influenced Mind Palace, which was mainly full of floating photographs of Amata Sora and some of who he had assumed to be her friends, into endless labyrinthine stairways and something more beautiful. Red and gold melted into dark, purple hues and stars and vegetation, and he had watched the process with much vicious satisfaction. The Venus flytrap prison had been a stroke of genius on his own part. Still—Mikage's chest suddenly throbbed, sharply reminding him he had taken collateral damage from two of his most hated beings—this didn't explain why this mindscape was so…void of anything. Was this Wingless One damaged? As much as he didn't want to associate himself with damaged goods, he supposed it would make it easier for him to overpower the being's higher thought processes and motor control. Biting his lower lip, he struggled to push himself to his feet and he gave a surprised cry when his feet gave out under him and he fell once more on all fours.

A heavy pressure—not unlike the gravitational atmospheric pressure on Altair, only a thousand times worse—suddenly pounded against his back and shoved him down, as if the once-existing Tree of Life had fallen on top of him. It took all he had to maintain that humiliating position. The hot feeling that had threatened his steel composure threatened to seep through again, nearly unraveling his decorum. His voice carrying a fearful, panicked note, Mykage cried, _"What is going on? Why can't I move?"_

Throwing his arm up, he vainly tried to summon all his power to force the mindscape into submission. He gritted his teeth against the strain his muscles were being placed under. He could do it. He would persevere. Something in him broke when all that replied to his silent, invisible plea was an even more intense pressure against his shoulder blades and a continuation of that soundless, hopeless darkness. His voice carried through the place, resonating with thrumming echoes before dying into faded existence. Lowering his head, he clenched his fists, clutching the thin material of his top, and once more he threw his arm into the air while he shouted desperately, _"Why won't you obey me?"_

Then he sensed the Wingless' strong mental presence and, while that might've distressed him even more, abruptly it projected an image of him in the blank space between its two tanned, cupped hands. At first he was confused by the projection—what sort of creature did he erroneously try to invade?—but then the Wingless whispered his name and Mykage's eyes widened in instant recognition. _"Ap-Apollonius?"_

He saw Apollonius' solemn expression, as if he was bowing his head in respect to a funeral procession, and then the reincarnation of his former lover slowly opened his eyes. Mykage's breath caught when he noticed himself in Apollonius' iridescent right iris and pupil, the same eye where a scar had overlaid the skin and where an eye patch once previously resided when Mykage had formally introduced himself to the physically reincarnated body of the traitorous Shadow Angel. The Wingless' piercing green eye struck a discord deep within Mykage's muddled thoughts.

"I will accept you into myself," Apollonius murmured, and Mykage flinched when he noticed his lips were moving tantamount to each syllable pronounced by his coarse, richly deep voice. As higher beings, they had pledged only to use their voice to impart blessings and sing to the heavens, for their voices were said to be strong and powerful. There were consequences were any Shadow Angel to foolishly ignore this sacred decree. That was why all Shadow Angels communicated telepathically. Toma and Apollonius were no exceptions.

As soon as those words flowed through, a wide circle, like the bastardized reflection of the moon on water, rippled into existence underneath the Shadow Angel. He stared down at the white light. _I will_, the words rewound themselves in his mind,_ accept you…accept you…accept you into…myself._ Freezing in place, Mykage gasped once more once the sentence registered in his brain. His head shot up and his indigo orbs peered blindly into the darkness. His heart thudded against his sensitive ribs painfully, beating a rapid ensemble of a hummingbird's fluttering heartbeats. He swallowed against the hot ball lodged in his throat and he quashed down the uplifting feeling building up in his cold chest.

Apollonius, with his arms crossed against his chest and his spine ramrod straight, was stoically staring into the distance back at the planet where their battle had once taken place. Mykage felt an overwhelming surge of remorse and peaceful acceptance from his reincarnated love. The Shadow Angel's head whirled with stunned amazement. "Let us watch over this age together," Apollonius said softly, closing his eyes once more. "Sleep within me, shadow of love."

_Love…love…love…_the words repeated endlessly within his head. Mykage's mouth quivered.

"After all these eons, we are now together." Apollonius clapped his gloved hands together and a golden light emitted from those marvelous, joined appendages. _I'm sorry_, he projected silently to Mykage, who took in the apology with a tremulous reception. An awed coo escaped the Shadow Angel's lips when the golden light flooded into the dark mindscape, bathing him in a warm glow. The unbearable pressure waned, then lessened into something akin to a gentle embrace. If he closed his eyes, he could envision Apollonius' strong arms wrapped around his torso.

Swallowing hard, Mykage's eyes slowly, shyly pointed down. Pressing a pale hand to his left eye, he whispered brokenly, _"You betrayed me not once but twice._" He sniffled and that unleashed the tears he had been trying to stem since his encounter with Aquarion LOVE. Oh, but his raw heartache had spawned centuries ago, twenty-four millenniums before his lover's Wings of the Sun were embedded in Aquarion to fuel the giant robot's powers, twenty-four millenniums before Apollonius forsake his wings for a human, twenty-four millenniums when he had been brought up on the news of the forbidden affair. He'd thought he was incapable of crying anymore. Those many years heartbrokenly watching his once close fiancé happily mingling with the Wingless Ones instead of slaughtering them, which he'd once just as happily done as the Angel of Massacre, and then having his expectations crushed again and again embittered him to outward displays of love.

_I know_, Apollonius projected lightly.

Mykage swallowed thickly and he fiddled with the hem of his white sleeves.

Apollonius stayed mute, realizing this was the decisive moment where Mykage's reaction would determine his next course of action. If the sliver of Toma's soul reacted negatively to his tentative olive branch, he'd have no choice but to put Mykage under permanent stasis and go from there. But, if he reacted favorably—at this point, Apollonius would accept anything—in any way conceivable, the reincarnated human would happily find peace living as one with his former, admittedly slighted lover, as his responsibility.

"_Yet why…,"_ Mykage twisted his head and floated upright. Surprised by the sudden action, Apollonius stepped back and mentally held up his hands. Mykage wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes rapturously, to breathlessly marvel, "…_yet why do I feel so warm inside you?"_

While he was relieved it was the latter outcome, Apollonius smirked awkwardly at the Shadow Angel's childlike question. He projected a light, friendly pat on Mykage's head. The Shadow Angel jumped, placing a hand on the area where Apollonius' hand would've been had Mykage been corporal. His astonished but happy expression made the guilt Apollonius felt crashing back in immense tidal waves. His lips thinned into a long, white line. If only he hadn't fallen in love with Celiane in his previous life, Toma—no, he was dead, along with Apollo and Sirius—Mykage wouldn't be in this mess.

Apollonius shook his head, recalling the rhetorical question. Typical Toma behavior, if not a bit more exaggeratedly feminine. His slipping in of a suggestive innuendo was not lost on Apollonius. The poor, incomplete soul probably didn't even realize he did it. That was how lost the Shadow Angel was in his euphoric bliss.

Apollonius tilted his head and emerged from his mindscape to peer down at Vega. Blue was spreading everywhere and his smirk increased when he grasped the ridiculous utilization of robot tears. Well, at least the kids knew how to drag out every inch of power from his discarded wings of old. He had been prepared to pull a kamikaze, sacrificing himself and most likely Mykage to undo the damage the Shadow Angel had dealt to both planets, to heal the two and end the cycle.

"_Dues ex machina,"_ Mykage sighed by his ear and it took all Apollonius' willpower not to call Aquarion on him to get him away from his person. He'd forgotten how…clingy his betrothed had been.

Swiveling his eyes this way and that wildly, his tensed shoulders collapsed with relief when he still registered the peculiar presence within his mind. The Shadow Angel was simply manipulating his senses in what he deemed an innocuous way. In hindsight, he could see himself growing old of this quite quickly in the years to come. Mikage made a dissatisfied trill at the back of his throat and the Neo-DEAVA self-proclaimed magician was instantly given the mental image of the Shadow Angel glaring up at the golden light.

Raising a brow, Apollonius was about to voice his incomprehension as to how the light had offended Mykage so when just a few moments ago he was crooning to its faux sunshine, when a frozen ice pick sledge hammered his brain. He winced at the pain and was about to demand what Mykage was doing—did he know it was somewhat late for revenge after their oh-so-emotional episode?—when the throbbing stopped and in its place were two warm hands cupping the sides of his face, their warmth soothing the pain away with each repetitive stroke of a thumb. His eyelashes fluttering open, he stared incredulously at the see-through, physical projection.

Indigo eyes full of concern and tender affection, Mykage didn't cease his massage when he elaborated, _"When someone or something appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty. You really know how to pick them."_

He angled his head and smiled sadly in Apollonius' direction. _"The last thought you had…it wasn't guarded, like the other times. I…I heard it."_

Pulling his head away—it was admittedly difficult for him to pull away from those soft hands which were quite unlike Toma's calloused ones—Apollonius stuck his hands into his trouser pockets. He turned away and asked noncommittally, "That so?" If Crea had been here, she'd chew him out for being so careless and use this as an excuse to take away all his donuts.

"_I wouldn't have minded,"_ Mykage whispered softly, _"as long as I was with you."_

Apollonius' heterochromic eyes softened. True to his word, the real Holy Angel had been happy to die reunited by soul 12,000 years ago with the man he once loved. Unfortunately he had discovered the vessel reputed to house Apollonius' soul didn't exactly match up. "You had Otoha…everyone knew she was head over heels in love with you. I remember she was by your side years after I initially reincarnated in mortal coil. Even when you were challenging Apollo, she was there. You could have gotten over me."

"_I-I couldn't."_

"You had every opportunity—"

"_You promised me."_ He stumbled closer, reaching down to grasp one of Apollonius' gloved hands._ "We made the vow of wings."_

"That was between Apollonius and Toma," Apollonius corrected, trying to discreetly withdraw his appendage away but stopped when Mykage's grip on his hand tightened warningly. "We are simply afterimages of them—Neo-DEVEA High Commander Fudo, Zen and Shadow Angel Towano, Mykage. And they—we have never made such a promise."

Mykage shook his head vehemently in denial. The iridescent white feathers swayed with each movement. _"No, but we had discussed it. We had prepared for it, studied the holy ritual intensively until we both collapsed in exhaustion, enough that Elder Angel Johannes scolded us daily for taking it too seriously. After the ritual, you were to pollinate the Tree of Life. It was seven moonrises until the day of our union when you were sent out on assignment on Earth...until you changed. It's still possible. We're the last two Shadow Angels. We can repopulate our superior race, we can be the Adam and Eve of our generation—"_

"I'm Wingless," Apollonius deadpanned.

Mykage recoiled, looking as Apollonius had physically struck him instead of dealing a verbal bombshell. He snatched his hands back, reacting as if he'd burnt himself without realizing it until too late. His fleetingly horror-struck expression cleared into a placid mask. _"That may be true but if you physically pilot the Solar Wings, we can still—"_

"Perhaps this time, instead of chasing after a long lost memory of what once was, you should ask Amata or Kagura, either one of the Winged Hound's reincarnation, to do the deed. If you ask nicely and repent for all your crimes and apologize, you might be able to attain similar results of what you're looking for."

Mykage's face contorted in a sneer. _"When Earth split into two—into Vega and Altair—I was privy to observe alternate versions of ourselves 12,000 years ago. In one of them your precious pet Apollo fought Holy Angel Toma and in midst of their dance, they've successfully completed the ritual. Even if he didn't comprehend the full extent of his love for that harlot, his feelings were shoved into me and that gave birth to the start of a new generation of Shadow Angels..."_

"But there was a miscarriage," Apollonius said. He crossed his arms and peered steadfast at the spirit's darkening countenance. "I know, I saw the same thing as you when I stood in the background as an observer. You couldn't have done anything about it. That light that carried his strong feelings was initially meant for Silvia. It would have been an artificially endorsed pregnancy, which you know contaminated Aquarion's Holy Light as it wasn't meant for Toma."

"_Yes, I've realized that but in retrospect I am glad that fate did not fall upon the shoulders of the actual Toma whose despair had given me birth."_ He smiled bitterly. _"While it certainly would've powered me, I wouldn't want to be be betrayed by you yet again. You've done enough already."_

Hoo boy, the lingering, possessive attachment of an envious ex-fiancé, even if it was coming from the fragment of a familiar soul...what had he gotten himself into? Apollonius—at this point he didn't know whether he should refer to himself by his old name or the current alias he took up—sighed. Talking to another Shadow Angel, his lover and previous enemy, was seriously exhausting. He empathized with Mykage's resentment. It was all his fault, the original Apollonius' inability to separate from his selfishness. He understood that. However that did not mean he agreed with Toma's and Mykage's misguided conviction that it was Celiane and all her incarnations who were at fault for stealing the one they'd loved, twice. With heavy regret tinting his baritone voice, he murmured, "A sincere apology is somewhat long past overdue, I understand."

"'_Somewhat' is a bit of an understatement."_

"Personally I wished things had not played out the way it had these twenty-four millenniums. I'd mistakenly assumed you could move on and perhaps find someone else, someone like the Music Angel that's always been by your side, and try to forget all about me. I would've preferred if you had forgotten me or hated me instead of…," he cleared his throat, "instead of loving me these 24,000 years."

"_Oh, I did. I've both abhorred and adored you, still to this day, beloved."_ Hesitantly Mykage floated closer. _"Why did you change? What about that harlot appealed to you on an emotional or physical level that made you fall in love with her? What about her empowered you to abandon your precious wings and your people?"_

Apollonius stayed silent and Mykage's breath whooshed out in surprise when the Neo-DEAVA High Commander suddenly took a leap forward, effortlessly landing on the pitted surface of another craggy asteroid. They were going back to Vega, Mykage realized belatedly, and not the motherworld. An invisible string tugged at the pit of his stomach, yanking him forward with each jump Apollonius took. He felt an overwhelming pity for the true reincarnated vessel of the Wings of the Sun, who had his mode of transportation reduced from easy flight to strenuous physical exercise. Mykage was pleasantly surprised that Apollonius still retained a level of superiority over the Wingless' weak and trite incapability to function in any place without air and other facilities.

_I loved her_, Apollonius whispered into Mykage's mind.

"…_Apollonius?"_

_I fell in love with Celiane._

"_I'm aware of that," _Mykage retorted wryly.

_Love does weird things to you. Love makes anything unreasonable reasonable. It makes you crazy. It makes you happy. It can make you sad or angry._ He slanted his eyes back at the trailing Shadow Angel. _But I do not need to explain that to you._

Mykage's lips quirked up. _"Really."_

_I cannot recall exactly why I fell for her. That request I cannot satisfy. Maybe I admired her spirit, her courage and character since I laid eyes on her in the battleground. Maybe I appreciated her beauty. But, for a Wingless, she was…exquisite. Unlike the rest. That much I remember._

"_I see."_

_You don't_, Apollonius chuckled. _You don't need to lie. I don't even understand it myself._

"_If you loved her so much, why did you not pursue her reincarnations?" _

_You've noticed?_

"_Once I realized you weren't who you were believed to be, yes. You've allowed the Winged Hound to pursue your precious Wingless. Why?"_ Why did Apollonius lead him on to believe he was Apollo? That he was still in love with that whore's soul? Did he hate the idea of being together with Toma so much he'd resort to petty deception?

"I know what you're thinking," Apollonius mumbled quietly, "but it's not that complicated."

"_You love her."_

"Yes, I did 'love' her."

Mykage instantly picked up on the use of the past tense. His eyes narrowed and he feigned ignorance. As much as he'd love to launch himself at his lover and forget everything that had happened, he wanted answers. What better time than now when the man himself was receptive to inquiries?

Apollonius continued, "Apollonius loved Celiane, not her reincarnations. Celiane was the one he loved."

"_I…do not understand."_

"Silvia de Alisia was the offspring of our Union. Not directly but she descended from Celiane's lineage of long ago. As her great-ancestor, I'm afraid it twisted my stomach to turn my affections to such a young girl who carried my blood."

"_Even though she was the reincarnation of your illicit lover?"_

"Even when she was the reincarnation of my illicit lover," he affirmed. "Even so, I wanted her to be happy. That was why I took a step back when Pollon actively began chasing after her."

"_Pollon?"_

"The Winged Hound. Apollo? You…do not remember his name?"

Mykage's cheeks flushed pink. _"Evidently not."_

"So you pledged 12,000 years of revenge against another being for my own admittedly underhanded dishonesty and you do not even know his name?" Apollonius retorted dryly, disbelievingly. Breathing in the crisp oxygen after broaching Vega's atmosphere—his body's initial collision against the vast space felt similar to a rubber band being stretched to its maximum—he glided down slowly, casually from the blue sky. An uncomfortable heat licked his clothes but Apollonius brushed it off. After formerly housing the Sun's Gift, this heat couldn't compare to it. Houses and buildings and Wingless Ones made up tiny specks of colorful dots in his vision.

What he wouldn't give to tell Pollon's divided reincarnations that the Shadow Angel didn't know the name of whom they had stemmed from. Of course, they'd probably resent both Mykage and Zen Fudo more since he predicted the two would question how he'd come to know this.

"_What about this current incarnation?"_

He blinked and ran his fingers through his hair. "What about her?"

"_You do not want the cursed bride?"_

"What an interesting nickname. No, I hold no love for Suzushiro, Mikono. She amuses me, but that's the extent of my affections for her. The fondness I hold for her is a far cry from the one I held for Celiane." Not one of Celiane's vessels for her reincarnated soul matched the original's personality and appearance. She was the one he'd loved, the one he was willing to give up everything for at one point so long as it kept her safe and happy. He shrugged helplessly. "I do not see myself having a torrid love affair anytime soon again after what had happened between us."

"_If only you'd come to that realization sooner, we wouldn't be in this mess."_ Mykage glanced around their surroundings. His indigo eyes shined with recognition when they swerved over the tall scaffolds of metallic grays and whites. He twisted around to gawk at the blasé High Commander. _"You're taking me to your base? Is that really a wise idea?"_

"That was one of my early concerns," he confessed, "but, tell me, can anyone aside from me see you?"

Mykage rubbed the bottom of his lip pensively. To tell or not to tell. He quashed down a smile when the man started drumming his fingers along the fabric of his long green sleeves impatiently. He'd tell. If Apollonius had not reason to turn him away, he might…he would still have a chance. Even if he was the shadow of Toma's feelings, he truly loved him. Chuckling, he expounded, _"Only when I physically possess you. By that I mean take control over your higher thought and motor controls, trapping you deep within our joined subconscious, and essentially changing your facial structure to reflect mine. Other than that, I do not believe so. You will not pilot Aquarion, which is rightfully yours?"_

Apollonius' lips thinned. "No."

"_Then you have no worries. If you had piloted Aquarion, anyone doing a Union with you would be able to see a projection of myself beside you. I also won't wrestle you for control, as long as there isn't any need to."_ Faint traces of suspicion lingered at the back of Apollonius' mind and Mykage winced at the amount of distrust directed at him. It would be an uphill battle before the Wingless—was he truly Wingless?—tore down his mental shields and fully accepted his existence. Mykage held his hands to his chest in protest. _"I'm not looking forward actively corrupting your mind. You've had 24,000 years to strengthen your abilities and sharpen your mental facilities. Compared to my 12,000 years and less of experience, you'd have the advantage."_

"For someone who vowed to crush all that I held dear, it's remarkable how quickly your passion toward my destruction turned around."

"_No, not you. Never you."_ Mykage tightly grabbed Apollonius by the crook of his elbow and they halted midflight in the middle of the Caribbean blue, seven feet away from the headquarters of Neo-DEAVA. He simply wanted to join the two worlds back into one and reign over it as its new god, maybe sharing his throne with Apollonius if the man repented for all the suffering he'd caused Toma and the denizens of Atlandia. He smiled weakly. _"You have a real roundabout way of asking why I'm acting out of character, why I'm suddenly okay with all this. I'm not offended. If anyone told me in the near future Apollonius was willing to accept me into his body despite my attempts to attain godhood, I'd laugh at them and possibly absorb their Prana for wasting my time on false hopes."_

The High Commander shifted uncomfortably in the air. "All I did was acknowledging my responsibilities," he said lowly, "and taking affirmative action."

"_You've finally accepted me…after all this time…."_ The pure white feathers fell into his eyes when he shook his head, shrouding his sorrowful gaze. _"I would've quietly resigned myself to anything you'd subject me to. Anything, as long as you recognized me…and my efforts to get your attention."_ And the years he had spent chasing a desperate but hopeless dream, but Apollonius didn't need to know that. He didn't want his pity.

Apollonius peered down over Mykage's bowed head and he felt something in his heart break at the disconsolate picture the self-proclaimed Destroyer of Love made. He looked up in the air for a few seconds, privately sighing within the shielded section of his mindscape. He hated not taking a neutral stance to everything. Now he was an active player interacting with the white pawn he'd avoided capturing until said pawn switched to a queen, thereby forcing his hand and coercing his black king into the game.

"_Apollonius?"_

Coming out of his thoughts, Apollonius tentatively slung an arm around Mykage's shoulders, his hand pushing the head forward until it knocked gently against the jut of his collarbone. He'd seen mothers comfort their children this way on Vega.

Mykage's eyes widened and he melted against Apollonius' hard, solid frame. His arms automatically looped around the Wingless' slim waist. Even if his lover was in a different form, the soul was just the same. With his nose pressed against Apollonius' neck, he inhaled the Wingless' natural cologne, a musky fragrance of cinnamon stalks and sugarcanes underneath a sheen of sweat. His long eyelashes fluttered close.

"I cannot love you," he said bluntly, noticing how the lithe form tensed up almost immediately against his, "at least, not the way you want, shadow of Toma's love." He stroked the feathers which stuck up wildly in Mykage's hair and he smiled when the Shadow Angel practically purred at the soothing motions. "You are an incomplete soul piece. I am the container for a piece of Apollonius' soul. Our circumstances are similar in that, but you are a Shadow Angel and I am…mostly human. And I'm afraid you're stuck with me for many centuries to come. My reincarnation cycle…is different from Celiane's and Pollon's."

"_How so?"_

"You'll see."

Mykage tightened his grip on Apollonius' vest when he felt the other try to step away. Irrational, he knew, but he didn't want to let him go. The last time he did, it was 24,000 years of suffering and heartbreak.

Apollonius laughed breathlessly by his ear, blowing hot puffs against his pale skin with each verbalization of his mirth. "What's this? We cannot get to Neo-DEAVA if we are locked in passionate embrace."

Mykage didn't think it was funny but if it made the other happy…he glanced up, indigo orbs coyly peering up from underneath long lashes. _"We can continue on like this and we'll eventually get there by flight. Or, you can carry me."_

An eyebrow shot up. "Aren't you a little big for a piggyback ride?"

"_Is a Wingless capacity for strength that inferior to that of a Shadow Angel's?"_ he countered, bringing his arms up to encircle around Apollonius' neck. Mykage pressed his forehead against Apollonius'. He smirked challengingly into those heterochromic eyes. He didn't know if this was pushing the boundaries but hopefully Apollonius would allow this much closeness.

"I suppose I could carry you on my shoulder like I do for Crea," he hummed contemplatively. A similar smirk on his face matched the Shadow Angel's. He quickly pulled up an image of the tiny Chairwoman when he sensed Mykage's bubbling curiosity at the mentioned name. He almost gave a sigh of relief when he didn't sense the same crippling jealousy that had haunted Toma every time Apollonius had interacted with a pretty female. Maybe it was how deceptively young she looked that Mykage didn't consider her a threat for his affections. "But she's a little girl and hardly weighs over ninety pounds. You, on the other hand, have to weigh two, maybe three times that. My shoulder wouldn't be able to support your weight."

"_Weakling,"_ Mykage teased. _"We only have a short distance to go. If you can't support me, I'm afraid you're not good enough for me. It was no wonder it had been so easy for me to overpower your team. If they're anything like their commander, I shouldn't be surprised."_

"Well, I acknowledge that Chief Commander Donar has his shortcomings," he shot back cheerfully, "but even as a crippled old man, he has his strengths and the children love him."

Mykage blinked and resisted the childish urge to roll his eyes when Apollonius pulled up a mental image of the veteran soldier. _"I was not referring to Chief Commander Donar Dantes."_

"I know." Grinning wickedly—Mykage felt a hot pang of interest in the pit of his belly when he caught sight of the lupine smile—Apollonius bent down and swept Mykage's legs up into his arms. The Shadow Angel grunted at the sudden move and peered dizzily down at the empty space where his legs once were. His painted purple lips was parted in a surprised 'o'.

"…_You are not carrying me bridal style."_

"So that's what it's called!" Apollonius exclaimed, leering broadly from ear to ear. "I'd always wondered why women blush and why men shout about this making them effeminate when they're picked up this way. Do you feel just as effeminate when I carry you this way?"

"_It's unexpected but not unwanted."_ He adjusted his hold on Apollonius' neck and wiggled around a bit to settle more comfortably against the hard plane of Apollonius' body. In the haughtiest voice possible—he channeled Izumo Kamurogi for inspiration—he mandated, _"You may carry on."_

"Bossy as I'd remembered." Then something occurred to him and he visibly winced at the revelation. "Say, Mykage, I know you said only I can see you—by extension, I supposed I'm the only one that can feel you—but can you touch and move objects?"

"…_I should."_

"I don't want to drop you…although you wouldn't touch the ground since you can hover and fly…."

"_Where is it?"_

Wow, a Shadow Angel certainly didn't mess around…not. What a ridiculous thought. He'd never imagined he'd be telling his ex-fiancé to search him, essentially frisking his body for an eye patch. "In my chest pocket, to the left."

"_Wait."_ Mykage twisted his body and squinted down Apollonius' torso. Pinching the black piece by its strings from the pouch, he smiled triumphantly when he pulled it out successfully and he dangled it before amused heterochromic eyes. He could see himself reflected in the right eye. _"You don't want the other Wingless Ones to know you've accepted me in your body?"_

"Not yet," he divulged, staying still as Mykage leaned forward to loop a little knot to join the two strings. He watched on as the other, brows puckered in intense concentration, nibbled on his painted lower lip, paying his task with such attentiveness that Apollonius wanted to laugh. Had anyone erected a stony barrier around their hearts, it would've shattered to bits once they witnessed that adorable display. The soul fragment really resembled an innocent child, so intent and focused on the task at hand for the sole purpose of pleasing somebody. "The Element users had only just come out successful from the long, drawn-out war against the Abductors and you. Were I to reveal I voluntarily agreed to house their reformed but once major adversary in my body at this volatile time, not only would I lose their trust but I would also unnecessarily fall under heavy scrutiny under the grounds of potentially having my body be possessed by the villainous Towano, Mykage. It is not an ideal situation to be in, especially when we all need to band together and fix what's left on Vega."

When the knot was tightened, Mykage planted a kiss against the covered eye and pulled back. _"I understand. But, what about the motherworld? I'd absorbed all of Ianthe's energy, using the life force of Altair to power Ancient AQ. Have I…have I destroyed it?"_

"Aquarion LOVE's tears of joy have replenished the supply of water of Vega and Altair," he said slowly. "That much I do know. Amata and Mikono should be trying to replant the Legendary Aquarion back into Vega's crust or finding another substitute for the once-existing Tree of Life to maintain the world's balance. However I do not know if life remains on that heavily industrialized planet. While I wouldn't get my hopes up after all the Prana you absorbed, there is a small probability that Altair is still salvageable."

The brunette's gaze slid to the stone walkway underneath his boots and then back up to peer into inquiring indigo orbs. "We're here," he clarified. "Do you think you can manage by yourself now? I do not think it would sit well with others if I was seemingly having one-sided conversations with myself and walking around command center with my arms in the air carrying nothing."

Mykage grinned savagely and hopped down from his comfortable perch and stretched his arms above his head. Yawning, he tilted his head and asked, _"So where to, High Commander Fudo?"_

"To where everyone else is. I have a ban on love I have to lift."

* * *

**(A/N)-** There you go—a fluffy prologue to match the fluffy finale. The interaction between Mykage and Fudo here made me want to vomit at times but this is what I'd expect from a soul fragment who's born from despair and obsessive love, and from the reincarnation of the epic troll!Apollonius who I'd expect to be a bit standoffish but nice and tolerant of the physical manifestation of a shadow of Toma's feelings. You can expect a lot of fluffy moments between the two to make up for the 24,000 years of misery. Apollonius, you jerk. Be happy I tried to find a reasonable way to justify your insensitivity.

I honestly don't care about Mikono and Amata and Kagura and Zessica and Andy and Mix. Maybe it's because after Jin's death and the epic troll moments between Mykage and Fudo that I haven't developed any love for the main and majority of the side characters. I might consider changing the final pairings or keeping them canon, I'm uncertain at this point. I need to watch the other episodes to get a better feel for them.

One of the things I will be keeping canon is Mix's sudden re-growth of her "big bangs." However they won't be magically re-grown. In my version she will still be a boy but I'll be introducing back her "big bangs" with a more rational back-story than a magical surge of luuuurve.

Mikage or Mykage? Toma or Touma? –sighs-


	2. Chapter 1

**(A/N)-** Wow, thank you for the alerts and reviews. –laughs nervously- I'd originally intended to make this a throwaway ficlet to tranquilize the rampant plotbunny itch but I'm happy there are a couple of people who are genuinely interested in _Ad Infinitum_. This chapter will be very long and its fluffy segments very short. I'm pushing that toward next chapter.

Sylvie or Silvie? Gah. It's the whole Mykage vs. Mikage and Toma vs. Touma ordeal all over again.

Some of the things I will most likely address (some based on **tak-10**'s post on tumblr) throughout the story will be: how Shrade's spirit remained in the vector of episode 26, Cayenne's vision of the wedding in mourning clothes, Kagura's seemingly sudden surrender of his smelly wrench, Kagura's and Zessica's vision (and Mikono's) of said wedding, Mykage's crystallized coffin, "Apollon" and "Sylvie", Amata's memories and how EVOL came to exist, Altair's future and the Curse of Eve, Mykage's and Fudo's future, Crea's purpose and her relationship with Apollonius, how Mix got her "big bangs" back, and why Kagura calls Amata "Wings of Sun."

If there are any questions you may have concerning the other plotholes Kawamori has left behind, please be sure to leave them in your review! :) And I'll do my best to have them answered, within the constraints of my own imagination of course.

* * *

**Ad Infinitum**

_(To infinity…)_

Chapter 1_  
_

* * *

"High Commander Fudo," spluttered out the shocked, choked voice of Chief Commander and Commanding Officer of the Male Cadets Donar Dantes. He tried standing up to properly greet his superior—then, remembering his burden—quickly sat back down. "You're back!"

All commotion in the command center waned and then died off as Zen Fudo unceremoniously strode into the immense space. At the Neo-Division of Earth Vitalization Advancement Holy Angel Academy (or Neo-DEAVA for short), a range of Element Users ceased their celebratory actions and snacking and took in with owlish eyes the sudden appearance of the well-recognized tall figure. After the power network was turned off, everything in the command center was just decoration, even the teleporters. The commander probably made a call to warn them he was coming back, they thought feverously. He usually wouldn't show up without giving his version of a heads up. But since they'd foolishly turned their radars and faulty power lines off, his signal wasn't intercepted. Scrambling to their feet and their faces blushing, they bowed their heads in respects to the top of their chain of command now gracing the premises.

From the back of the room, a girl with long, iridescent locks sitting down on her customized stainless steel chair furtively shoved a white bakery box behind her. Arranging her dress calculatingly, Chairwoman Crea Dolosera crossed her legs and plastered on the most innocent expression she had in her arsenal when Apollonius slid a knowing look in her direction.

The woman in charge of the female cadets, Commanding Officer Suomi Konepi, felt her face flushing deeply when she saw the high commander tearing his eye away to stare at her unusual position—was that a smirk she saw on his face?—before moving on to take in the vandalized control center. She shot up to her feet as well, bobbed a short curtsy, and smoothed over the invisible creases in her white monastic scapular to avoid meeting his flickering gaze. She refused to look at the equally-red Donar whose lap she had been occupying merrily moments before.

"Oh no, don't stop on the account of me," Apollonius drawled lightly, once more falling into his role as their mentor and superior 'Zen Fudo.' His one green eye zipping past the visible baked goods and party streamers messily dispersed among the room within the limits of his field of vision, he clasped his hands behind his back and insisted, "At ease. After traveling that many miles to get back to Neo-DEAVA, I'm happy to see everyone in good spirits. We've finally gained the upper hand so…festivities…are to be expected. I'm making it a requirement, in fact. Is this everyone?"

"Yunoha's in her room," Andy contributed, sinking back in his swivel chair. The anxious mood dissipated under the weight of his blasé discourse. Adjusting his beanie, he related, "She said she wasn't feeling so tight so we let her go. Everyone else that wasn't feeling up to the party probably went to sleep. So, yeah, this is pretty much it."

"Hmm…what about our two lovebirds, cadets Sora and Suzushiro? Has anyone received any word from them?"

"L-lo-lovebirds!" Suomi and Donar gasped, simultaneously staggering back until their legs bumped against the chairwoman's console. Crea glared at the two when they jostled the stack of papers lying on the table.

"Oh, love is permitted once more, did I forget to mention?" Apollonius whistled innocently, bellying his wolfish grin, at the stupefied expressions on their faces. "But I'll make similar words to that effect another time...when I see everyone's gathered together. But seriously, no one's answered my question. Have the two contacted anyone or are they still considered MIA?"

Hours before the chairwoman had informed the Element Users that their absent high commander took a lengthy expedition to find a way to turn the tides of war in their favor and wouldn't be back until everything was in working order. Now that Fudo was here, everyone could officially breathe a sigh of relief. Some were a bit curious what he had done to 'turn the tides,' since it seemed the two missing Element Users were the main driving force behind their success. No one dared voice their question in fear of challenging the high commander's honor. It would seem like they were accusing him of a cowardly nature and no one wanted to charge a higher-up with such an allegation.

"I think they're commemorating their Union in their own way," chimed in a chipper, giggling Sazanka Bianca. She tried not to flinch when she could feel the eldest, handsome Suzushiro sibling glowering at her from the corner where he was seated. She pressed her sweating, chilled juice box against her hot cheek.

"What I think," suggested another female Element, twining one of her green side bangs around a finger, "is that the two took my advice to get a room and made themselves scarce while we worried over them." As an afterthought, Zessica, who looked like she had aged quite a bit in the last 24 hours with the pasty pallor her skin had taken and the gray shadows beneath her eyes, added, "Nice to have you back, High Commander Fudo."

After changing out of her Neo-DEAVA battle gear, the female Elements—including the chairwoman and the surprisingly still male Mix—had surprised Zessica by walking up to her in the shower stall and, crying, hugging her so tightly she could feel her lungs bursting. They did their best to make her welcomed back and she had appreciated that. At the girls' insistence, she had the short back of her green tresses plaited, then tied with the green cord that previously laced Fudo's coat together. Currently she was wearing one of Crea's spare Lolita dresses—she couldn't stand looking at the same dress she wore when she naively made a devil's deal with Mykage—and loosely draped over her shoulders was the high commander's red coat. Unbeknownst to her, the man was slightly amused that his beloved coat was worn by someone other than the one he had initially gifted it to at a whim.

"It's nice to be back," he answered just as succinctly. His sharp gaze lingered on the newest addition to the team. "And I've see you brought your friend along."

Zessica buried her face in her hands when said friend leaped up onto a table and crouched down with his hands in place between his obscenely splayed legs to hold himself upright on the wobbling counter. Two female Element Users squealed, fanning themselves at his rugged good looks and ripped clothing. They'd offered him a change of clothing and he'd turned his nose up at each of their spare combat gear presented to him.

The men of the room simply rolled their eyes at the girls' response. Typical, particularly when one of the girls was Sazanka.

"Hello, Old Man." Kagura grinned savagely, giving him the mockery of a two-fingered salute. "I've heard so much about you, I'd thought I'd come and see what all the fuss was about." He then toasted Apollonius with his own green apple juice box. "You have worse foods than the ones back at Altair's."

"He means 'better,' I think," Zessica clarified, her voice muffled. "Turns out his element is really the power of reversal—as you had said, High Commander—so everything he says is backwards. It's really weird."

"Keep talking, bitch, or I might shove this into your face so that you'd have something to match your hair."

"Asshole," she retorted, glaring at him between her fingers, "it's only labeled green apple because the flavor tastes like green apples, not because it's actually green!"

The redhead scrunched his nose up. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone—" His head abruptly whirled around and he leaned closer in Apollonius' direction to take a stronger whiff of the man's scent. His brows furrowed in a deep dip. "Why do you smell like—?"

"Has anyone told you how rude it is to openly sniff at other people?" Apollonius interrupted, with the ever-present teasing smirk over his angular features. He patted Kagura's shoulder, a seemingly innocuous action which launched the redhead through the air, slamming him back into the seat which had been near Zessica's. Apollonius tutted, "Down, boy, before Sazanka there faints from blood loss."

All heads turned to the indigenous girl whose hazel eyes were glazed over. She was holding her hands over her nose which bled rivulets of blood over her fingers. Her friend, the one with the paper bag over her head, silently handed her a tissue box.

Kagura groaned and slid an irritated golden eye open. "The hell, Old Man? You've got the power of telekinesis or something?"

"Or something," Apollonius agreed, filching an uneaten jelly donut from one of the boxes lying in the open. Crea groaned silently once she realized what he was about to do. "Why are you here, our once previously known Abductor? Not that you're unwanted but what are your intentions?"

"High Commander!" Zessica leaped to her feet and shot an arm out in front of Kagura defensively. "This man defied orders to bring Mikono back to the Altairans when she was suspected to be their True Eve and he was one of the main driving forces behind Mykage's defeat! He has no place left on Altair! He also saved my life! He's the one who brought me back after being possessed by you-know-who!"

She didn't want to mention he was also the one who had restored some of her confidence in herself back when she was imprisoned deep within her subconscious, when he loosened his iron grip on her neck and calmly told her that Amata wasn't worth the sacrifice she was willing to make to atone for her sin—the careless bargain struck between her and the Shadow Angel. When he had turned his back, from just his tensed shoulders she had also understood his unspoken words—that his "Sylvie" wasn't worth freely giving up her life for either. Kagura shot her a grateful, if a bit reluctant, look.

"Sir! If I may!" Suomi bowed to her waist and she continued on respectively, "This boy risked his life to help us win the war when he had little to no reason not to. Whether we like it or not, Demuri, Kagura has willingly committed an act of treason against his people by siding with us. He is also Amata's other half, the chairwoman told us so! What use is there casting away one of our students, even if he is the missing half of him? I feel we cannot leave him to fend for himself after all he's done for us!"

"Yeah! We owe him!" Lowering her voice, Zessica muttered, "Especially when he is a surprisingly kindhearted little bastard…."

Murmurs of quiet assent filled the command center. All eyes were drawn to the stationary High Commander who was listening to their appeals quite attentively, much to some peoples' surprise.

Raising a brow at their united front, Apollonius serenely raised his donut into the light. Fifteen physical pairs of eyes followed the line of motion. Seeing that he had their attention, he drawled, "While I do not doubt his sincerity—after all he has done—I have to question his motives for doing so. Kagura, for what reason do you have to promptly change your mind when you've made it clear from the get-go you desired our youngest Suzushiro?"At the redhead's bewildered expression, Apollonius added wryly, "Cadet Suzushiro, 'Mikono-saaaan,' your smelly wrench?"

The Elements struggled to keep their faces straight at the excellent impression of Amata Sora. Several of them had to hide their incredulous laughs behind unconvincing coughs.

Kagura's confusion melted away into one of grim assent. Rubbing the back of his neck, he muttered, "I let Amata borrow my smelly wrench so that he could save Sylvie from my childhood torturer."

Before he thought all he needed was his Sylvie, and the rest of the world could go to hell for all he cared. Every time he saw her or sensed her floral scent, his conscious thoughts would then go blank and fuzz over with the ever present metaphysical fog. Sylvie's presence was like a beacon to him, an irresistible drug he desperately wanted to chase away the fog clouding his mind. But unknown to the Vegans and Altairans, he felt like a cross between the little boy who was crying for the mother and the marionette being manipulated by a master puppeteer. Shouts of love were wrangled from his throat and memories that were not his own were dredged up from within the dark corners of his mind.

It scared him a bit that he was following Apollon's destructive path but there was always that insistent prodding at the back of his mind working overtime to soothe his fears and to encourage him to go after 'his Sylvie.' He'd almost always followed that voice because when he didn't a throbbing, malodorous-smelling pain stabbed at him from all directions, making him regret each small acts of rebellion against its encouragements. It wasn't until he threw caution to the wind and went along with the voice's suggestions that he felt respite from the constant mental ache. The fog was his friend and the cold lack of sensation his constant companion. He welcomed the numbness and, although he was essentially chasing after a stranger of another dimension—an alien from another planet—he really didn't mind spending the rest of his life with this attractive Rare Igura. She seems like a nice enough girl, he'd thought.

Very rarely did he get a moment of clarity but when he did he always used it to justify his actions and fortify the impenetrable wall of denial, that something was obviously wrong with his deeply-vested attachment to her.

Then his world turned upside down when his mentor—taking on the female pilot's features previously unknown to him and then warping it to give a vague impression of his own—betrayed him by holding his reincarnated love against her will and transmitting a haunting lullaby through Aquarion's communication systems. At first he was baffled why his mentor was broadcasting such a childish thing but then his head began to pound and a million sharp knives pierced his mind as the humming persisted. His world had turned dark and when he awoke with a sharp, clear awareness he'd never thought he'd get back, he found himself in a confounding Escher Room and his Sylvie tied upright by vines to the stained glass window overhead. Habit sent his legs pumping furiously to go reach her but now that the artificially intense feelings generated by Mykage for the girl was shattered by the lullaby, he no longer felt the same extreme compulsion to have anything to do with her.

When his vector Unioned with the girl he had rescued and the bane of his existence, at that moment their emotions and memories were connected and combined. Amata's strong feelings for his Sylvie installed a sense of grudging respect in him and Kagura, however reluctantly he felt about backing down from his rival, let him go to her. Though, to be honest, his abrupt compliance might've something to do in part with Zessica's resonating acceptance of Amata's ultimate rejection and her own willingness to help him get back the girl he wanted.

A side of his face twitched and he sent a stealthy, silent glare in Zessica's direction. Really, what a woman she was. She'd asked him to kill her—for a moment there he was taken aback a random stranger was asking him out on the spot until he realized she'd meant something else—and his hands had automatically winded around her swanlike throat and flexed. His halfhearted attempt to fulfill her suicidal request—hey, if murdering her ended up getting him and Sylvie out of there, he was all for it—had all but subsided when she started crying and hoarsely whispering her last goodbyes. He had to struggle to hear her, her voice was that low. The name which slipped past her lips brought another moment of clear-headedness to him and, at that moment, he knew he couldn't do it. Here was a girl who was willing to give up her life like a sacrificial lamb in order to save the dolt and millions of lives because she saw no other way to get out of the situation. He knew, had his Sylvie been awake, the same thought wouldn't have crossed her mind. Gorge had filled his mouth. Mikono wasn't a warrior, it took no leap of logic to understood that. This girl, on the other hand, was eager to atone for her sins by bravely putting her life on the line for others. It was both cowardly and admirable at the same time. It sickened him.

Her blood wasn't worth spilling on his hands.

"Nothing was making sense so I figured I'd give him a chance to play her knight in shining armor in the spur of the moment when I saw how determined he was to get her back from my crazed mentor…I've only acknowledged his feelings, to let him destroy the present Mikono, nothing more," he finished firmly, bunching his hands into fists and tearing his gaze away from a confused violet set.

In his opinion, the idiot could go woo and champion her for all he cared so long as she was happy with him. It didn't matter to him, Kagura no longer wanted the smelly wrench the same way he once did. However, as the saying goes, old habits die hard. Although his infatuation had ebbed, there was still a secret part of him that was roaring to get her back, that she was his possession, not Amata's. He visibly winced. The contradicting feelings made his head hurt.

Drinking up the brooding emotions flickering past the young pilot's face, Apollonius nodded sagely. _Ah._ He saw where this was going. "So here we have reached the conundrum." The High Commander rotated the donut twenty centimeters to the right. "With what has happened, we have a shaky peace between Vega and Altair that we must maintain and espouse. With your appearance…"

Everyone was entranced as the middle of the donut depressed inward, like someone invisible had poked their finger at the pastry. Even one Shadow Angel, who had been merely observing things from the doorsill, took notice of the unbelievable feat of magic. His arms dropped from their position against his chest and he soundlessly floated closer.

"…we tip the balance to our side, especially if one of Altair's key pilots is genuine in his promise to offer us his assistance. With it Vega might be able to be restored to its former glory and, if the situation permits, the reconstruction of Altair. But if our turned Gnis Pilot intends to disrupt the harmony by going after his smelly wrench…"

The invisible finger shot through the dough and red jelly, leaving behind a gaping hole in its wake. The Element Users' jaws dropped. A singular thought ran through their heads—_holy shit_.

Chuckling softly, Mykage's flight sojourned nearby his former lover. He draped his arms over the high commander's shoulders, overlaying his chin on top of his long white sleeves and angling his feathered head centimeters away from the side of Apollonius' face. _"Is it true? Is your Element really the power of telekinesis or are you just playing them?"_ Silent puffs played along the back of Apollonius' jaw line with each syllable pronunciation.

He was bored out of his mind. At first he was bemused by the Wingless intermingling—wasn't a certain someone skilled at playing a normal human?—but his initial enchantment with their perplexingly emotional dealings had quickly lost its appeal for him. He was more interested in how Apollonius' reincarnated soul was operating his current human host and how his subconscious had overtaken this Wingless being.

To his credit, Apollonius barely twitched at his newfound burden. It would take someone very observant to notice the miniscule clenching of his jaw.

When he was sure the Wingless' attentions were properly distracted, Mykage decided to kick it up a notch by lazily swiping a finger across the smear of jelly which had landed on Apollonius' cheekbone. He still wanted to see how far he could take it before he infringed on what Toma's lover considered as his personal boundaries. The bridal carry apparently was tolerable. The Shadow Angel lifted the stained digit to his lavender mouth, licking the red substance off uncertainly with his tongue.

A forced Cheshire smile suddenly made its way up Apollonius' face at the same time as he was concluding between gritted teeth, "…the harmony would be disrupted and we'd have a hard-time trying to fix the hole left behind."

Some of the Elements were confused as to why their High Commander's voice sounded strained near the end of his monologue but they shrugged it off. Another oddity of their high commander's. It was just water off their back.

Apollonius' right eye spasming involuntarily, he ignored the Shadow Angel who was unmistakably taking advantage of his vast patience. It was easier to pretend nonchalance when there was no visual reminder of what frustrated him in the first place. Adding to Apollonius' inner turmoil, Mykage's deep, melodious voice flitted through their shared mindscape, murmuring a disappointed, _"It's rather sweet…"_

Crea watched their interaction with widening eyes. Opening her mouth to voice her disbelief, it clicked back shut when it occurred to her no one else seemed conscious of their previous Public Enemy No. 1 being in the same room as them. Catching her partner's warning glare, she settled for viciously biting down on the same jelly donut Apollonius had been holding until she had teleported it into her own gloved hands.

He clapped his hands together to get rid of any remaining crumbs the donut had left behind. Roughly rubbing a gloved thumb across the same cheek to make sure there wasn't anything else on his face, he implored firmly, "So I ask you, Kagura Demuri, do you intend to steal away her away again but this time when our backs are trustingly turned to you?"

"Choose wisely," Cayenne scowled, crossing his muscled arms and leaning back against his seat. All eyes swiveled over to his direction. "Because your next words can spell your doom. I'm not entirely okay with how she ended up with that dork but, if it makes her happy, I will tolerate their relationship."

"What was that, spice boy?" Kagura growled.

He jabbed a finger in Kagura's wake. "You heard me! To preserve Mikono's happiness, I will not tolerate anyone who comes in between them! Even if that means you, beast boy! Stay away from her!"

Enraged, the Gnis pilot shot to his feet and he grabbed the man's green undershirt, yanking him up. How dare he order him away from Mikono? Even if he was someone who Kagura could now call a dubious ally, he had no right saying such things to him. Growling through clenched teeth, he demanded, "Who do you think you are telling me what I can and cannot—?"

"I'm her brother!" Cayenne snapped, squeezing his grip on the black high collar.

"So what! She's my smelly—!"

"So you intend on carrying out your plans to whisk her away with you?" Apollonius broke in coldly, the smile on his face dropping. Taken by surprise, the two Element Users relinquished their throttleholds and stepped the hell away from each other and High Commander Fudo. A frigid air permeated the command center, and everyone looked in alarmed wonder at their suddenly somber high commander. The last time they'd seen him drop his smile was after Jin's demise and the murderous rage on his face wasn't a memory anyone was fond of recalling.

A soft croon escaped Mykage's lips at the controlled display of Apollonius' ire. He rubbed his nose gently against his lover's cheek. _"How beautiful, your rage. It's so breathtakingly different from you were merely my—Toma's twin soul."_

Before Apollonius would explode in a flying rage, leaving behind ruin and destruction and mountains of Wingless corpses in his wake until his temper cooled, his thirst for blood sated. Now he was just as calm and collected as the glaciers that once peppered the freezing waters Apollonius had brought Toma to as a surprise engagement gift to listen to the songs of the ocean. Although it had been raining that day in the lower world, it was the first romantic overture the recently christened Angel of Massacre (or Angel of Death as he later became known) made to the just-as-recently-christened Exalted Holy Angel. That was what made the memory of the experience even more treasured amongst all the memories Mykage had inherited from Toma, and Toma had come to love the rain, which was a singular experience that could only be experienced in the human world, after the trip. Every time he visited, sometimes dragging Apollonius along, to feel the memories of the ocean against his hair and skin, it would remind him of his cherished gift.

It was also the first time Apollonius acknowledged their engagement arranged by Johannes, the first time he looked at Toma with something more than the same impassive indifference he'd shown when the verdict to matrimonially join the two most esteemed Frontline Commanders was passed by the Council of Elders.

Matching the arctic green gaze with his own indigo set—with a disappointed, heavy pang, he was reminded of another of the jarring dissimilarities between reality and Toma Epanortho's fond recollections—his eyes never left Apollonius' as his pale fingers trailed down and skirted past the sparse stubble, reaching the smooth, tanned skin underneath and then to the sharp jut of his Adam's apple. Swallowing hard against the hot feeling lodged in his throat and slamming his emotions behind a glass case deep within their conjoined mindscape, Mykage shakily traced the small bump as he plastered on a fake, confident smile. He repeated breathlessly, _"So beautiful."_

…_You must derive amusement by purposely trying to find new ways to test me,_ Apollonius projected quietly, dryly, doing his best to ignore the featherlike caress against his unguarded throat. Inwardly he narrowed his heterochromic eyes at the different pitches Mykage's voice had taken. His last accolade sounded softer, in a lilt that Apollonius would never associate with Toma's richly baritone echoes. The compliment…while he could tell the weight behind the words was sincere, did the man not understand what personal space meant?

Apollonius wished there was an invisible force field, complete with electrical fences and guard dogs, to stymie the other soul sliver from crossing his boundaries. At times he could put up with it because of the awkward way the Shadow Angel went about showing his affections was adorably childlike and innocent, like something he'd expect to see between a child and his or her father. Then there were times he was reminded why the former Apollonius chose Celiane in the end. He didn't know how long his open-mindedness could last before his patience eventually run out and this thin, odd balance they had inexplicably reached between them would be broken. Once he breaks under the pressure and he has no choice but to lash out.

The wide smirk on Mykage's face unquestionably broadened, much to Apollonius' dismay. It was a slow, almost carnal smile. _"Yet nothing you have done suggested your discomfort. Why the sudden protest? I've done much worse since you've accepted me into your body."_

The high commander didn't reply, purely choosing to redirect his uneasiness by staring impassively at some random spot beside Gnis pilot's head. To borrow a cadet's words—fuck him.

Zessica shuddered and rubbed her naked arms underneath the coat, her fingers dancing over raised goose bumps. Good lord, was Fudo's ears turning red? He was that angry against Amata's other half? If she didn't know any better, it seemed after a few moments after his smile dropped and the air got colder, an even more intense chilliness had settled in the area around him. She thought it was a trick of the light when four thin white lines skittered over Zen Fudo's chin, which then faded into pink and eventually back into the natural pigmentation of his skin.

She groaned and rubbed her stinging eyes. Having your body previously possessed by an otherworldly supernatural megalomaniac with a god's complex definitely had its side effects. Hallucinations seemed to be one of them.

Alarm bells were screeching inside Kagura's head. Was the old man glaring at him? A million curses and expletives skyrocketed through his head. Refraining from his urge to whine like a newborn puppy and roll over to show his belly, he simply bowed his head in deference. Peering up warily through crimson bangs, he muttered, "No, I will not. I stand by my decision to let her go, however much I regret doing so. If she's happy with my lighter half, then I will entrust her to him."

The agonizing iciness eased off and Crea breathed a sigh of relief now that the crisis had been averted.

"But that's not to say I'll give up chasing after her!" he continued stubbornly and, while the Zen Fudo did not directly glower at him like Cayenne was presently in greater intensity, Kagura hunched his shoulders when the frown didn't dissipate from the high commander's features.

Everyone winced at the teenager's insistence. If only he kept his mouth shut.

Kagura closed his eyes and resolutely finished, "I'll respect her wishes, yes, but if Amata does anything to make her unhappy, I will be the first to happily care for him!"

"You mean 'reserve the right to kill,' right?" Cayenne snorted, looking at the redhead with new, grudging respect. "It's your weird reverse speaking we're hearing, so I'm guessing you mean the opposite of 'care' seeing as you said you wanted to 'murder' my sister 'all night long' ever since you laid eyes on her—yeah, I heard it from Amata—but that's obviously not true seeing as how you're so hanged-up on her." Heaving a sigh, he clapped Kagura roughly on the shoulder a couple of times. "At least we agree on one thing. If that dork does anything to make her cry, we'll string him up by his toes and castrate him."

Kagura blinked at the violent imagery, then grinned from ear to ear. It seems he found a new comrade in Sylvie's kin. "I've noticed you carry a machete on your gear? Maybe we can use that, or do you have any dull knives?"

Cayenne blinked and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I have a dull pocketknife, if that's any—"

"As nice as consultations on the finer points of castration are when we're around children," Donar interrupted, appearing slightly queasy at the talk of such act, "we only have his word that he won't do anything weird to one of our students. How can we be sure he won't go against his assurances?"

Kagura scowled, "Bastard, I'm a man of my word—"

"If he says he won't, I'll believe him," Apollonius' booming voice carried in the air, silencing all the people that were chattering.

The man made an odd motion, which looked like a cross between nonchalantly rolling his shoulder and elbowing someone invisible, and he marched straight over to where the redhead stood. His green eye boring into Kagura's amber ones, he demanded, "Will you take her against her will? When she shakes her head no and cries for you to stop?"

_Mikono is such a lucky gal_, Zessica thought dejectedly, tugging at the green cord in her hair. Traces of a bitter smile lingered at the corner of her lips. _She doesn't have to do anything and all men fall over to do whatever her pretty head wants._

While the Element User knew the high commander didn't aim to play favorites, he certainly had Mikono's best interests at heart with his how-dare-you-even-think-of-doing-such-a-thing tone against Kagura. Speaking of which, she surveyed the Gnis pilot's response.

Kagura visibly recoiled, his head slamming against the back of the chair. "No! I would never!" He wouldn't be able to stand seeing her cry, especially if it was by his hands. "I would never do anything that she doesn't want me to! I hate her passionately!"

"…I'm glad to hear that." Apollonius slapped Kagura's shoulder, the same shoulder which Cayenne had clapped. Inwardly snickering at the pilot's wince, he pronounced, "I now officially welcome you to the headquarters of Neo-DEAVA! I hope you enjoy your stay!"

Kagura stumbled under the weight of Apollonius' palm. His golden orbs flickered up at the taller man's angular face suspiciously. "I thought I was always welcomed here."

"As an enemy we could always count on to act as our constant thorn on our side, perhaps, but nowadays you get an official pardon and approval for an extended stay here within the borders of Neo-Kowloon from a higher up, which precedes all previous animosity and ill will." He ruffled Kagura's hair. Blunt nails scratched Kagura by the ear. The pilot thought he was being treated the same way as if he were some kind of a dog.

Apollonius cautioned, "Not everyone's going to be happy by your being there. We still have many bridges to cross before the people of Vega can accept a turned Abductor to our side but at least, now with my sanction, people will know you're acting under my protection."

"We need good PR," Crea sighed quietly, her red gaze settling on the two Shadow Angels in the room, one redheaded hybrid and one iridescent white, "to turn peoples' opinions in a favorable direction. With what had happened with the second 'Great Catastrophe' and our most recent victory, prejudice against the Altairans and Shadow Angels will have amplified. With the way things are going, we might have to imperialize the planet of Altair."

"Imperialize?" Kagura repeated, scrunching his nose up in distaste. "You mean, like 'Age of Imperialism' imperialism? You Vegans are gonna colonize my home planet?"

"Imperialism and colonization are two separate things," Apollonius corrected, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against a stainless steel table. "A Palestinian literary theorist once made the distinction that imperialism was 'the practice, the theory and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan centre ruling a distant territory' whereas colonization involved the 'implanting of settlements on a distant territory.' I agree with this view. There's no need setting up settlements and colonies over Altair just yet."

"Edward Wadie Saïd, born 1935, died 2003, ages before the Holy Genesis, year 0011," Crea murmured, smiling broadly. "He was an influential cultural critic and author. Since Vega is better off than the unhealthy conditions on Altair and thereby making us more developed, we'll have no choice but to forcibly impose our various foreign governments' control on their weaker lands which were previously without a unified government."

Apollonius scratched his cheek. "Weren't they militant? Altair's government?"

"Some might argue dictatorship but I say most of Altairan government or governments, based on our prior investigations of Ianthe, operated under a form of stratocracy."

"Sirs," Suomi disrupted, holding up a hand. Both High Commander and Chairwoman glanced at her. "I thought Altair was drained of its life force to fuel Ancient AQ. Wouldn't it be time and cost-beneficial to simply disregard Altair's existence now that life no longer exists on that planet?"

"_Who said I drained all existence from the motherworld?"_ Mykage huffed by Apollonius' ear, offended by the gall of that Wingless woman. His lavender nails dug into Apollonius' skin. How dare she suggest him capable of a criminal offense? While he didn't care as much for the lower world as his predecessor did, even he understood the severity of committing such crime. Shadow Angels encouraged life and could only take several, not each and every life, in order to maintain balance.

Bristling, his mood darkened when he twisted around to glower at the other brunette, this time female, in the room. The Wingless human, while unintended, had inadvertently besmirched his honor. He could see the sorrowful, aghast looks on each of the Element Users' face.

_How dare she—?_ Turning his head back, he pleadingly beseeched his lover, _"You know I'd never do anything like that. How dare she suggest such a…such a foolish thing! I've merely absorbed all of Ianthe's energy, using the life force of the Altairan capital city to feed Ancient AQ, to rejoin the two worlds. I kept it localized to one area!"_ His fluting voice veered into bitterness when he sourly tacked on, "_Unlike the humans you are so fond of, I do not wreak destruction anywhere I touch."_

Silent for a moment, Apollonius then carefully tiptoed around the concerning matter he was about to bring up. He whispered, _What about_ _Ianthe?_

A chill gripped Mykage's heart and he fell silent. Anguish crossed his face. _"…Nothing should remain of Ianthe."_

Nodding to himself mostly, Apollonius settled back from his mindscape and addressed the military personnel in the room in a way he knew would drive in the point best: bluntness and cold, hard facts.

"Who said Altair was dead?" Apollonius deadpanned flatly, ignoring the shocked intakes of air upon his answer. Glancing meaningfully out of the corner of his eye at the hovering Shadow Angel, he persisted, "Altair was a heavily industrialized planet powered by Ianthe—a machine developed by Commander Kamurogi's mother and was the true cause of the Curse of Eve—where the energy it provides comes from the planet's own mana. It would be a good thing that Ianthe was destroyed. The remaining Altairans are better off without it and the city which hosted it."

Mykage stared impassively at Toma's former partner, and then raised a skeptical brow. _"The Wingless imitations of Shadow Angels' quandary originated from, ironically, Ianthe?" _He burst into laughter._ "By my own selfish actions, I've managed to reverse the Curse of Eve! How ingenious fate works!"_

Rolling his eyes, Apollonius murmured, "It's really a shame that there wasn't any time to evacuate its citizens from the city before a certain someone we all should be familiar with—yes, it's the same Shadow Angel who masqueraded as Ianthe's High Priest—drained all life force from Ianthe, including the Altairans there. Yes, it's also a shame there were a number of casualties on either sides which would've been avoided had we sat down and had a few talks to round out our differences instead of pointlessly engaging in meaningless combat. There is nothing we can do about it except accept what's past is past and look to the future with no regrets. The planet's disease is now contained. With our better, recovered resources, it is Vega's responsibility to help the surviving Altairans switch to renewable energy seeing as that their machine is no longer poisoning the planet."

"Sir, I mean no disrespect," Donar chimed in reluctantly, also raising a hand, "but have you failed to recall we need a dimensional rift to get through to Vega? None of us have that ability now that the Shadow Angel is gone and I doubt there will be anyone left on Altair willing to man the controls to open the Warp Gates and let us through. We can't knock on its doors and expect—"

All the steel window panels which had shrouded the command center in darkness swiftly slammed up, unveiling red and white luminosity into the once dim lighting. Apollonius threw a hand out over to where the windows were and pointed with all five fingers up at the large red planet dwarfing the moon nearby. Mykage's brows shot up into his hairline. "Not anymore, we don't. Behold, our next-door neighbor, Altair!"

All eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the dramatic demonstration. But almost immediately, remarkably, Suomi was the first to snap out of her initial shock and vociferously cried out his name in protest. Her hands planted on the sides of her hips, she insisted, "Are you out of your mind? We are just out of war! We must focus on the reconstruction of Vega, which should be our priority over Altair!"

"And just who would our representatives be?" Donar interrogated, falling to her defense. "Because I cannot imagine this cross-planetary matter being settled with one sit-down. There must be consecutive meetings, not to mention any follow-ups, investments, time and expense…who is willing to do all that? Very few to be exact. We would need to plan—"

Inwardly Apollonius rolled his eyes again at the stream of disapproval coming from his commanding officers. Outwardly he adopted a happy, approving stance by beaming widely in forced cheerfulness and mockingly clapping his hands, as if he'd born witness to a spectacular feat. "Thank you for seeing my view! That's precisely what I was trying to say!"

_Good girl_, _good boy_, he snidely thought and Mykage, having overheard the unguarded thought, cracked up. Mykage buried his face against Apollonius' neck, his shoulders shaking from mirthless laughter.

"Huh?" the dumbfounded officers could only utter.

_"Hilarious, this is simply hilarious."_ Tears gathered at the edge of his long lashes and he bit his lower lip to quell his hysteric merriment. _"You are a wonder!"_

Spreading his arms out, he drawled, "Like you said before, we will be the ones to handle the negotiations and redevelopment on both planets. Given that Neo-DEAVA is a militant organization with ties to the United Nations and its diplomats and its many connections, it's quite apparent we're to be part of negotiations as military advisors."

Their heads swimming light-headedly with delirium, they spluttered, "But-but—"

"Kagura Demuri," Apollonius didn't glance over when the Gnis pilot stood at attention, "you and Cadet Mix—Cadet Andy W. Hole, settle down—will be our selling points. As former inhabitants of Altair, you two would make the most impact in gaining the Altairans' trust. Even if you are considered MIA or defected traitors, your roles will be pivotal when we commence the Vegan-Altairan ceasefire."

"We might have to play the pity card too," Crea murmured, steepling her fingers under her chin and gazing at the formerly possessed Element inquiringly. "If worse comes to worse, we can use Zessica's circumstances to garner sympathy. That is, if she doesn't mind making it known to public."

"Oh, oh, um," stumbled the green-haired combat pilot. She nervously looked down at her shoes and fisted in her lap the white cotton fabric of the intricate, ruffled dress. "Okay then. If it helps…yeah, it's fine with me."

"I'm afraid that'll be our last option," Apollonius said softly, sensing the girl's embarrassment. Dropping the ruffles, she timidly peered up at him beneath her long fringe in speechless wonder. "We'll try to keep it under wraps, if we can."

A relieved smile picked up at the corner of her lips. She gave him a very small nod of thanks and his reassuring smile thinned into a thoughtful one.

"Although, what we might offer in lieu of that…," Apollonius faltered, stroking his jaw. "Most likely we will be revealing the true origins of Cadet Amata's birth."

"Amata's?" Andy squeaked into his juice box. Zessica's response was a somewhat similar one.

"His pedigree is the same as mine," Kagura scowled, lifting his hands behind his skull. The back legs of the chair tilted unsteadily back as he swung his boots up high on the surface of the Vector operators' console. He sighed, "Supposedly we were born to Alicia and Izumo Kamurogi, a Vegan actress and commander of the Altairan forces. We symbolize the possible union between Vega and Altair, that's what you're trying to say, Old Man, isn't it? It's obvious what you're going for. It'll give either side hope a peaceful concession may come to exist between Altair and Vega."

"That's why I want you to play nice when he comes back." Apollonius slid his hands into his trouser pockets. "Even if you have to fake it, it's crucial for there to be impressions of goodwill between you two. No one else, aside from us, is aware of you and Cadet Amata's exact relation. To anyone else, you'd look like distant brothers."

"Cousins," Crea corrected, tilting her head, "if not for your similar parentage."

"That is why our three key players will be cadets Sora, Mix, and Gnis pilot Demuri. Cadet Wong is our wild card, one that we won't play on the table unless absolutely necessary." His green iris flickering past three pensive faces, he pulled out a pocket watch and snapped it open. "Kagura and Mix, please set your alarm clocks to 05:00. I will send personage—most likely your commanding officer—to escort you to the chairwoman's office or, if you'd prefer, you could knock on someone's door and that person could bring you to there."

"I don't need an escort—" The protest died on Mixy's lips when, out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Andy tossing a sharp look at him. Sighing despairingly over Andy's newborn protectiveness, Mixy crossed his arms over his flat chest and jerked his head down in affirmation. He muttered mulishly, "Andy will bring me, I guess."

"What about you, Kagura?" Crea posed. "Unlike Mix who had spent some time with us until her abduction and sex-change into Mixy and temporary amnesia which was thankfully restored," she ignored Andy's muttered "you're welcome" and pressed on, "you've never fully navigated Neo-DEAVA's halls. That could be a problem."

"It's fine." Kagura waved an impatient hand. "I can sniff you guys out."

Apollonius raised a brow. Yeah, that's definitely not happening. He pointed a gloved finger at Zessica. "Cadet Wong, I name you in charge of leading Kagura Demuri to the chairwoman's office. Please get him to us by 05:30, at the latest. The same applies to Cadet Hole and Cadet Mix. No more than 05:30 maximum."

"Me?" Zessica whined. "High Commander, why? He's not a little boy. It's hard to miss that gigantic head office of yours. He can go find you himself—"

"Zessica!" Suomi scolded. "Do my ears deceive me or am I hearing backtalk against your superior?"

"No, ma'am," she grumbled, closing her violet eyes resignedly. All she wanted was to fall against her much-missed pillow and sleep the days away, never waking up and forgetting all that had happened in the past 24 hours. Blowing her green bangs out of her face rudely, she mumbled, "I hear you. I'll bring him over."

"Good!" Apollonius clapped his hands. "And, with this, I adjourn our meeting. Only this once, you may bring your celebrations to your quarters. Please do watch your time. I don't want to hear anyone past 00:00. Cadet Mix and Kagura Demuri, stay behind. We need to discuss your living arrangements."

* * *

While the other Elements picked up their food and left the command center upon the dismissal, Andy and Zessica lingered after. Each had a reason to stay behind for the remaining two pilots. Andy immediately sidled up close to Mixy, grabbing the long-haired boy's hand and squeezing it for reassurance.

Mixy's face immediately flushed red. "I-I'd thought," he stammered, his hand squeezing back and his eyes gazing anywhere but at High Commander Fudo, "that I'd go back to my original quarters but I can see the problem with that now that I'm a boy."

"You can bunker over in my quarters!" Andy volunteered cheerfully. "Amata's bed is up for grabs now that he's being lovey-dovey with Mikono at who-knows-where."

"What? No, I can't do that! That'll be so weird—!"

"I approve your submission for Cadet Mix's temporary lodgings," Apollonius declared, his notorious Zen Fudo smirk appearing back on his face upon sight of Mixy's pinched expression. Her face seemed torn between horror and gratefulness. "You two may leave. Your commanding officer will escort you back to the Girls' Dormitories for any personal belongings you may want to bring with you."

Suomi jerked her head in a nod of confirmation and she beckoned for the two cadets to follow her out. Still within his line of vision, Apollonius caught sight of the transformed cadet shoving Andy's shoulder and whispering harshly that the hole-loving pilot better not peek at the other girls. He wanted to laugh. Honestly, the two Wingless teenagers' antics reminded him of the time when Celiane told him he had to close his eyes when they snuck into her chambers because she didn't want him to get any funny ideas. Long, brown strands swayed side to side when he shook his head in exasperated fondness. The Wingless Ones' misguided beliefs were always so charming.

It was too bad there had been no Atlandians alive who shared his same opinion.

"_They remind me of when we were adolescents,"_ Mykage purred, instantly snapping Apollonius out of his relaxed posture and back to being on his guard. Twin indigo orbs trailed after the two cadets. A faint, nostalgic smile touched the corners of his lavender lips. _"You were so self-conscious of your body."_

Apollonius' right eye twitched underneath the eye patch. He felt vaguely offended that anyone would dare suggest he wasn't confident about his appearance. He projected adamantly—_I'd been transferred from the Alician Empire and I find myself to be the new resident celebrity practically from the moment I landed in your division. Anyone would feel uncomfortable when they could feel eyes on them whenever they would enter the same room! _

"_Shyness does not become you. You had a beautiful body,"_ Mykage offered instead, snaking his fingers through his long, avian locks. He made a face at the ends of a quill. Split ends and cracks in the stiff shaft, how positively droll. Those 36,000 years spent recuperating his weak body in stasis until he was capable of long-term astral projection had meant years of molting and unclean remiges, his asymmetrical, multicolored flight feathers. He muttered, _"Never doubt that. We also never had an overnight transfer. Once word got around you weren't any regular frontline commander, everyone was desperate for a look at the illustrious Solar Wing. You were said to have lived up to your impressive reputation as the only surviving vessel for the Sun's Gift since the Fourth Holy Genesis, which you know the Shadow Angels' application of the term 'Holy Genesis' is different from the Wingless' inaccurate christening of their 0011 year." _

Apollonius heaved a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Not lifting his eyes from the remaining Element Users in the room, he returned silently, _I saw no point in correcting them._

"_You wouldn't. They can do no wrong in your eyes," _Mykage sneered. Coiling a long brunette tuft around his finger and bringing it to his face for a closer look and comparison against his, he commented,_ "Admiration was to be expected. Your hair reflected the sun's fiery rays and your eyes…the exquisite blood of our enemies. It would be a great injustice were your loveliness to go unnoticed. I merely was doing my duty appreciating and giving thanks to what we had been blessed after millenniums of unproductive prayers, as was the rest of us. Oh, don't look so embarrassed. Everyone admired you, not only for your looks and reputation but your physical prowess and acumen and potential, the glory you could bring to us in the battlefield. You were a blessing to us." _

Lips twitching downward at the silky softness against his skin—he had always thought the Wingless physical traits was inferior in quality compared to Shadow Angels'—he matched Apollonius' stunned gaze slowly, almost hesitantly. Rubbing the brown strands distractedly, he expressed, "_Your physical form now, while not as stunning compared to your first one, is…bearable. Much better than your second."_

_I heard a pause before the word 'bearable,'_ Apollonius projected sardonically, bringing up a mental picture of an arid desert. Mykage smiled inwardly at the metaphysical projection. _I can't believe this is coming from the same man who had the audacity to ask me where my other body was because he was displeased with how ugly my current container looked like, _he pretended a look of hurt,_ even though I had fussed over its physical features for a long time before accepting the final changes._

Before Mykage can make a retort or press Apollonius on what he'd meant about "final changes", Kagura began tapping his foot against the floor impatiently, grimacing when the Old Man presumably zoned out after the two bickering cadets disappeared out the door. He was feeling a bit edgy being in the same space with three total strangers—and once upon a time his former enemies too—and it was a small comfort that the Little Miss Weepy chose to stick around and wait for him. He was sort of glad she didn't grab his hand like Beanie Boy had done to Ponytail Boy. "Old age catching up to you?" he asked nastily.

"I feel old," Apollonius muttered wistfully, his subconscious gently drifting back to reality. Being a sentient 24,000 year old being, his physical shell constantly withstood the test of time. That meant watching loved ones die, watching humanity drastically changing and shifting with each passing year and new technologies being created, dodging suspicion by constantly changing locations and forging identification, putting up with the heavy weariness settling into his heavy bones, etcetera etcetera.

He was fortunate Crea—formerly known as Rena—accompanied him willingly throughout the millenniums. At the back of his mind he was amazed Mykage didn't make a snappy quip about how little he had endured compared to Toma's 24,000 years of resentment and heartache.

Drumming his lavender nails along a white sleeve, Mykage, now that Apollonius' attention was no longer focused on him, was once again bored with the continuing Wingless affair and he turned his attention to the remaining human his lover hadn't addressed. His plumed head angled and he floated closer curiously to the Wingless little girl whose scarlet eyes had been staring unblinkingly wide in his general direction from the moment when his astral foot had hovered past the entrance threshold. A bemused smile replaced the spurious one when scarlet irises trailed after his smooth movements warily.

"No matter. Unlike Cadet Mix and Cadet Hole, you and Cadet Wong are of different genders." Apollonius said apologetically, tugging the lace caveat around his neck. "You'll be rooming with Commanding Officer Dantes until further notice."

Donar gave a startled start at his name. Then he signaled his acknowledgement of the silent order by tapping his index and middle finger to the brim of his beret. He, as well as Fudo, were aware that there were plenty of spare bunks in the Boys' and Girls' Dormitory—even if there weren't, they'd be able to lay out futons—so he could reasonably conclude the high commander was subtly relaying a hidden message within that act of contrition. He narrowed his eyes, replaying the dialogue in his head. So basically the high commander was telling him to keep an eye on the Gnis pilot and to guard him discreetly until their situation changed for better or for worse. Okay, he could do that.

Again, Donar was reminded of how deviously sneaky the high commander was. The missive had been dispatched through a disarming introduction of a quandary and then a presentation of a "solution" to throw off awareness of the instruction made. Keeping a straight face, he grunted a low "Yes, sir" to keep up appearance. Verdant eyes flickering left, he clasped his hands behind his back and peered stilly at the scowling redhead alien.

"Whatever." Kagura tsked, looking down in acquiescence and shuffling his feet. He didn't mind playing house pet for awhile. Golden orbs fleetingly flashed to the remaining Vegan cadet who was watching their proceedings with fascinated violet eyes. "Hey, you know where his room is?"

Zessica crossed her arms underneath her breasts and scowled darkly at the inquiry. How dare he question her navigational skills about the military base which she knew like the back of her hand? Was he insulting her intelligence? "Of course I know! I'll pick you up, don't worry about it."

Donar grinned savagely, his metal jaw creaking open to reveal pearly whites. "I'll be sure to wake him up oh-five-hundred straight, you can count on that."

"You have my permission to use any means necessary," Apollonius added, smiling guilelessly when Kagura whipped around to stare at him with a betrayed expression. Waving his hand distractedly in a little shoo-shoo motion, he gave them a nonverbal cue for them to leave his sight. He had one last thing he had to finish up with before he could officially deem the night over and get some well-deserved sleep.

At the back of his mind, while he was dreading the eventual confrontation between Crea and Mykage, he knew he had to get it out of the way by the end of the day. He'd honestly prefer if the meeting was to their eyes only though. The Wingless humans—never mind the old souls some housed—wouldn't be able to comprehend fully with how Shadow Angels or reincarnated Shadow Angels with all their memories attached conducted their business.

Donar nodded faintly and grabbed Kagura's ear and pulled his cargo along, ignoring the outraged squawks emitting from the young Gnis pilot's mouth. Zessica made to follow after them but out of the blue a sea green sleeve shot directly in front of her face, and she had to dig her heels into the slippery terrazzo flooring to avoid slamming headfirst into the projectile.

Her perplexed violet eyes shot up, meeting a bright green iris. "High Commander Fudo?" she addressed uncertainly. Various scenarios as to why he wanted to talk to her flitted around her mind like a hummingbird darting from place to place. She took a step back, feeling discomfited by being so close to her intimidating superior. She kept her head respectfully bowed and her eyes pinned directly to the floor.

She was ready for the verbal tongue lashing she'd come to expect from one of her commanding officers. She hadn't however expected it from someone at the top of the chain of command. It didn't help that he was so incredibly tall—not abnormally so, mind you—towering well over her. She was close enough that she could make out from where he stood the defined planes of his muscular yet surprisingly slender torso straining against the formfitting vest. Her eyes widened when she belatedly realized she was basically checking him out and her eyes nipped back down, scurrying past the expensive leather belt rounding narrow hips and dark woolen trousers wrapped around what she could tell were powerful legs and then high-end leather shoes, and back to the floor. Her face felt hot. Yeah, she wasn't used to being so close to the commander.

Inclining his head, the man merely looked down at her, silently studying her rigid form. The blanket of silence was heavy in the air and Zessica shifted on her feet when it persisted. A feeling of foreboding settled deep within her bones. What exactly did he want to say to her? It had to be important if it was taking him this long to collect his thoughts. She refused to look back up. At the back of her mind she was embarrassed it took her this long to realize the high commander was fundamentally an attractive adult. Eccentric, definitely, but nice on the eyes.

"Self-sacrifice is admirable but for those who won't appreciate it," he said finally, his voice rising like a cavernous rumble from his diaphragm. Her eyes shot up to his face in shock. That, she wasn't expecting. Where were his remonstrations? She felt like a little girl who was expecting all sorts of nasty things for her detention, only to find herself been sent to the library to read a book. Placing a heavy hand on her shoulder, in a soft tone he continued wistfully, "There was a…soldier I'd known from long ago. She was a lot like you. A warrior, someone you could always trust to have you covered and watch your back. Talented and gifted as she was in battle, she'd always thought she was ready to give up her life for the people and their cause."

The color of his iris seemed to burn intensely as he focused on her heart-shaped face. Zessica shuddered, her thin shoulders trembling underneath his gloved palm. It was like he was peering into her soul, however clichéd it sounded. She felt like her very existence was being evaluated by an astute, wise bearer of judgment, measuring her worth before making the final, clanging verdict. She swallowed the saliva which had gathered in her mouth. Why was he telling her this?

"What she didn't realize, by preparing herself to throw her life away, she was about to abandon something more precious than her honor, more precious than a life. She was throwing away her potential." His grip tightened against the supple flesh pliant underneath his fingers. It was by the skin of his teeth he'd stopped Warrior Angel Moroha from murdering Celiane in cold blood for her perceived slight against Toma, who had been all the more willing to grant her mercy should Apollonius would come back with him to Atlandia. With a grim look on his face and half a hopeful heart, he'd quietly requested for Moroha to spare her and to give the woman who his betrothed had been having a clandestine affair with to him. Both Apollonius and Toma knew they'd both be shamed Shadow Angels, the social pariahs of their society and traitors to their kind—most likely to be imprisoned or exiled—had things not gone the way it did 24,000 years ago.

Apollonius' shoulder blades twinged at the memory. Of course he'd strained and twisted until he could hear the painful snaps of bone and ligaments breaking from his vertebral column, and his wrists and ankles shoving against the looping black thorns until he pulled the bonds forward with him with his momentum to stop the graceful arch of Moroha's blade from reaching Celiane. The paralyzed look on all the Shadow Angels' faces, especially Toma's, had been contorted to horrific proportions of overwhelming disbelief when they took in the sight of his blood coloring the altar and twisting a snaking path to where his hunched form had landed perfectly over the Wingless human, his arm stopping the blade and his broken body shielding her bound form.

Shuddering at the memory and wiping his mind of haunted indigo eyes filled with nausea and betrayal, his voice hardened, "I know you were about to do the same and thank god someone was there to stop you. Neo-DEAVA would've lost one of the talented pilots of this generation and your companions a much loved friend."

She turned her head away, guilt hitting her from all directions. She'd never really thought she'd be worth something to anyone, that was why she'd been ready to throw her life away. It was easier offering up your life when you didn't think you mattered to someone.

Three fingers cupped her chin and gently guided it back to face him. "I know you'd lost your family a long time ago in the war against the Abductors and for that reason you've trained hard in our organization for the day you could avenge your parents." He ruffled her hair, deftly plucking the cord tying the plaits back and watching as the green curls fell around her face, framing it like a halo. "I hope the time you've spent invested in our operations have endeared Neo-DEAVA to you and that you have come to see us as your second family."

Unshed tears prickled at the edge of her eyes and she smiled weakly at the high commander. "Yes," she said hoarsely, tugging his hand down from her hair. She kept her hand in his, marveling at their different sizes. The warmth of his skin underneath his gloves seeped into hers, thawing the ice coursing through her veins. "I have, sir."

"I don't know how Cadet Sora endeared himself to you," he stared, fascinated, as the color pink bled into her cheeks, "but what were you expecting with your sacrifice, Cadet Wong?"

"To turn the tides of war, sir!"

"Wrong. You were sacrificing your life to save your comrade, your crush to be specific. Don't be ashamed." His knuckle gently rapped her cheek. "It's normal for teenagers to have crushes. But I want you to be honest with me, if he weren't your romantic interest and purely another faceless cadet, would you freely offer your life in his stead? Ah-ah. I want you to think over your words before answering. And don't tell me the things you think I'd like to hear. From your bottom of your heart, cadet."

She mumbled something almost inaudible and although he could perceive what was being said, he feigned incomprehension. "I'm sorry, you must speak up. I cannot hear you."

Zessica repeated glumly, "…No, sir, I wouldn't."

"And why is that?"

"Because he is another faceless cadet, another grunt of the organization, among the hundreds that make up the various Neo-DEAVA headquarters around Vega."

"And what is Cadet Amata Sora?"

"…Another grunt of the organization. A newcomer, not finished with his training and unaware of the full circumstances surrounding the altercation between Altair and Vega." If she wasn't embarrassed before, she was now. It hadn't occurred to her that had Amata not been someone she had a silly crush on she wouldn't have so happily flirted with death to ease his suffering. She desperately wished Andy was still here. She wanted the Earth to swallow her whole.

"And how would he feel once he finds out you sacrificed your life to save his?"

Forget the hole. She wanted to crawl under a rock and never come back out. "He would feel survivor's guilt, PTSD. I would be damning him to years of therapy and self-reproach. And knowing the sort of person that he is, he'd find a way to illogically blame himself and Kagura for my death even though I was the one who told Kagura to end my life to save theirs."

She hung her head. Stupid, how could she have been so blind?

"I know you'd thought offering your life was the only way you could see out of the situation," he said softly, "and I admire you for your courage—not many would willingly offer up their lives—but now you see your effort would have been in vain. Cadets Sora and Suzushiro did turn the tides of war but without you there to pilot the third vector, we might've had a different result than a victory at the battlefield. And Neo-DEAVA would be mourning more than the death of one more pilot." He stared indiscernibly at her. "Do you understand what I'm trying to convey?"

_That I'm a brainless, selfish idiot who could've made the situation much worse had Kagura actually gone through with my request,_ she thought viciously. _Hell yeah!_ She was never, ever going to offer her life up that easily ever again. "I won't do it again!" she said determinedly, her lips twisted into a thin line. "You can count on me, sir!"

His green eye not leaving hers, he must have found what he was looking for because he then gradually withdrew his hand from hers and took a step back from the door. Apollonius said lightly, "Don't forget. 05:00, at Donar's door, Cadet Wong."

"I'll drag him kicking and screaming before 05:30." She nodded stiffly at him and, before Apollonius could prepare himself for it, she flung her arms around his middle and squeezed tightly.

From the back of the room, Mykage's head swiveled over to stare imperceptibly at the two. Prior to his witnessing of the embrace, he had half mindedly soaked in the sound of that velvety voice which played as lulling background music while he circled the young girl whose hair color was the featherless version of his own. He was intrigued by it, and by the girl who Apollonius and the others had referred to as their chairwoman. His curiosity was further piqued when she simply monitored his movement and hadn't fallen for the traps he'd set in his tests to judge whether or not she could detect his astral form.

Jealousy and ugly resentment were bubbling hotly in his veins. His jaw clenched and before he could soar in their direction or call up vines and separate them from each other, Crea grabbed the thin material of his garment and yanked. A choked gasp escaped from him when he felt resistance to his movement and he looked back down at her with wide indigo eyes. Making sure his eyes were trained directly on her, she shook her head no and silently motioned her him to stay put and watch.

"Thank you, sir," Zessica whispered, squeezing her eyes shut when the commander carefully slid his long arms around her shoulders and patted the small of her back with a hand. At this moment Zen Fudo was like the father she'd never had, never mind the one she had lost at a young age.

Her real bàba was a softhearted, sometimes goofy man, very much like Amata. People had always said she was a daddy's girl and she was proud to be the daughter of such a respected pilot. She was also proud of him for protecting her māma to the best of his ability from the Abductors, in spite of it being at the cost of both their lives. She was determined to follow his footsteps and that was why, once she turned of age and her Element power manifested, she voluntarily signed up for service at Neo-DEAVA instead of waiting for them to reach her at the orphanage.

Reluctantly pulling away, she saluted him, this time with genuine respect and gratitude instead of mechanical deference. "I won't forget this lesson. You're the best!" When a warm, lopsided smile slithered across his features, she bowed low to her waist and turned around and exited the room.

Apollonius surveyed her retreating form attentively until he could no longer make out her presence. Twirling the green cord skillfully between his fingers, he stuffed it into his pocket and reluctantly turned back to the last pair he had been dreading to have met face to face since he'd accepted Mykage into his body. A cold feeling washed down his back when an emotionless crimson stare shot pointblank into his while the other vehement indigo pair of eyes was set ablaze with restricted fury and torn between glowering at her or Apollonius. Their bodies also rather close together. He wondered what the hell had happened between them to have caused such a fissure.

"So I see someone else has brought their friend along," Crea said quietly, her eyes burning into Apollonius' head. "Who's failed to mention so in front of the others and making a hypocrite of himself by pointing out the Gnis pilot in his stead." Slamming her hands on the console and sending the stack of papers scattering, she shot to her feet and yelled, "Zen, what were you thinking!"

Heaven kill him now. Or better yet give him another international crisis to distract her from taking the full brute of her anger out on him. The last time he saw her this angry was when she was starving 200 years ago and he'd forbidden her from sucking Prana from anyone because they'd both agreed to fast like never before. She'd only raised her voice once, which she rarely does to this day, and it had been enough to send goosebumps down his skin.

"When I told you to get off your butt and do something instead of silently allowing all those deaths in your place, I didn't mean..." She gestured wildly in Mykage's direction. "Doing whatever this is!"

Apollonius patted the air before him placatingly, sending a tendril of calm through the link in their connected minds. "We have a lot to discuss," he admitted, ambling closer once he saw her taut features relax. "I realize in retrospect it wasn't exactly a good idea keeping it from you but I wasn't that confident you would be able to see him, as I'd been informed from a reliable source no one should be able to. When I saw that you could, well, I didn't want to chance bringing it up just yet in front of everyone."

"Oh, trust me, I see him as plain as day." Sliding to her feet, she let go of Mykage's sleeve and made a short, elegant dip before the irate Shadow Angel. Various emotions were coursing through her veins upon initial sight of the astral projection—melancholy, resentment, contrition, nostalgia, yearning, and most of all shame. "Hello, I am Crea Dolosera, chairwoman of Neo-DEAVA, formerly known as Rena Rune and…"

She cut a wide berth around him and the console, stepping back fluidly until her back made contact with Apollonius' bottom torso. The little girl looked up and smiled hollowly, "…the Angel of Death Apollonius."

* * *

**(A/N)-** Does anyone beside me see the problem behind hosting two different, partial soul pieces within one physical container? –hums- A food for thought.

I figured since Neo-DEAVA is a militant organization, mentions of ranks and cadets should be more abundant than familiar lingo and Japanese honorifics/ suffixes. Therefore I think I'll be straying a bit from canon with this. Also Altairans are people from the planet of Altair whereas Vegans are people from the planet of Vega. Isn't that funny? "Vegans?" –cracks up-

**To address reviews:**

** Ayame. Tenou:** Well, if there was such a thing as a story's virginity, you've certainly popped its cherry! :) Your review was certainly uplifting and it inspired me enough to churn out his chapter, so thanks! I'm glad you understood what I was trying to convey in the last chapter. I was a bit worried they wouldn't carry through but, since you got them, I'm more than relieved. I hope the chapters to come will please you, dearie. And my interpretation of Kawamori's characters! Thank you for your support!

**xNINJABLADE45x**: Ooh, are you a supporter of Amata/Mikono or am I just shooting? Actually at the moment I see no need deviating from canon but there are definitely ways to break up an established pairing, regardless of Aquarion LOVE. I currently feel like simply giving background and rational explanations for episode 26. But, like I said, I would need to watch the rest of the anime to get a good feel of the characters and ultimately decide whether or not I will be keeping the couples together.

Until next time!


	3. Chapter 2

**(A/N)-** So…the relationship between the two angels is apparently one of brocon…twincest, if you will. Huh. Anywho…Apollonius is still a bastard in my books. Bastards deserve one another, no? –chuckles- But I guarantee you I'll be taking the characterization of Crea in a new approach. And from what I know of "Gen Fudo." I'll clarify the divisions of angel Apollonius sometime soon. By the way, double-entendres galore. And if this chapter had a name, it'd be "So Gentle, it's Almost Cruel," pfft. It's been more than a couple months since I'd watched _Aquarion EVOL_ so I might be taking this in an AU direction to make up for any misinformation but it's quite early to tell at this juncture. Hmm.

**To sum up this chapter:**

Apollonius: …Creepy as fuck but, ok, I can deal with the clinginess. (-mutters- This plan had better work. I feel like I'm locked in a room with a yandere…OMFG HE WANTS TO RAPE ME!)

Mykage: Too much information overload. And wangst. I need to be reminded of my masculinity. Time recharge my sadistic battery! Don't worry, it'll be fluffy again.

Crea: Oh god, I cannot believe I used to be this gay!

* * *

**Ad Infinitum**

_To infinity…_

Chapter 2

* * *

"You lied to me," Mykage said flatly, whorls of indigo blazing as he traveled sidelong to his companion. The three were making their way to the Chairman's Office through a secret corridor only a select few knew of. Writhing shadows were present in the cool gray hues that made up the space lit by miniature LED bulbs embedded in the concrete walls. In the dim lighting, the Shadow Angel's eyes were like twin suns burning the night sky. Crea's crimson stare shimmered between the two reincarnated souls, the unreadable expression on her face enduring despite the heated words exchanged between the two males.

"Well, to be honest, you were arrogant and made an erroneous assumption," Apollonius corrected once more, a halfhearted smile that didn't reach his eyes twitching up once he felt the resulting irritation pulse through their mental bond. It was easy enough to visualize how their link would look. His connection to Mykage was an iridescent stream of tightly-wound threads, pale and reticent, deep down in his core where his Elemental powers lay. He turned his gaze away. "But yes, I agree I owe you an explanation. And you _will_ get it. Just in due time."

Frustration was the present forerunner in the angel's thoughts and Apollonius could already imagine the stream presently being dominated by shades of dark, angry red coiling down the torrent of other colors. The Wingless had not been able to discover the origin of their Elemental powers as of yet but Apollonius wouldn't put it past the humans to stumble upon that realization within the turn of a new century.

Humans had always been such inquisitive creatures.

It was one of their features that had forever attracted them to the reincarnated Angel of Massacre, the harbinger of the deaths of millions of Wingless. Sometimes when it was just them the more delicate vessel, Crea, would voice her concerns on the misinformation the Wingless population operated under, but Apollonius would always respond, "_Let them come across it themselves_. _It is neither of our concerns, Crea. If they continue to live ignorant it is because Creation has ruled for them to be." _At that Crea would fall into contemplative silence, for even she understood if it was meant to be nothing could prevent the Wingless from coming upon any fortuitous "breakthroughs." Even if it had meant a distortion of information the more that time passes.

He felt a headache coming as he recalled how much of what the Wingless of today remembered the events that had transpired 24,000 years ago was rare, and those that had transpired 12,000 years ago was only recognized through whispers of the mouth and that horrendous film riddled with historical inaccuracies. The _Skies of Aquaria_ had become somewhat of a private joke between Zen and Crea. But for outward portrayal, they had to put on a show for the Wingless. No one was to know they housed the notorious soul of Apollonius and because they did that was why they were cognizant of the distortions that came with time.

Also that bond of theirs would be far, far away from the sliver tying Apollonius to Mykage's. Apollonius had made sure—were Mykage to decide one day to challenge him for control of his body—that the Shadow Angel wouldn't be able to find Crea's, for she was the other reborn flesh to contain the Angel of Massacre. If something happened to him, the main vessel, a part of the original soul needed to be tethered to the earthen plane in order to give the Wingless a fighting chance against his controlled body. With that, Crea would succeed him and stop the angel to Apollonius' satisfaction—for they were of the same soul, therefore of the same thoughts and desires—until the day he eventually gained his body back. This arrangement worked both ways but they both knew with the burden and the destructive tendencies the main vessel possessed, he would most likely be the first to go in every cycle they were in together.

Affection curled warmly within his chest at the thought and he sent a mental caress, with a touch of contrite guilt, down the bond he had with his other soul. Sometimes he didn't see Crea as the other half of his soul. Sometimes he'd just look at her and think he was interacting with a daughter he never knew he had.

The shining strands, vivid as the sun's rays, flickered and then gently licked at the edges of his mind's eye. He grinned lopsidedly to himself. She had _finally_ settled down. He slowly withdrew from his mental presence. Words cannot be used to describe the transfer but, for the Wingless, it can be likened to an interactive radio. All one had to do is to reach out and silent dialogue would be exchanged between the involved parties.

"Silent dialogue" isn't even a phrase Apollonius believe could be used to properly illustrate its function. Their bond—the one he had with Mykage was a bit more unique—performed more like imparting impressions of the other's thoughts or feelings. Images sometimes accompanied the exchange but they were infrequent due to the concentration needed to send them. It operated much, to an extent, like the most rudimentary link forged between superiors and combatants for the duration of the archaic Harvests. It also acted like how a connection between two mated Shadow Angels would've worked after making the Vow of Wings, but these individuals were capable of higher-functioning telepathy and other abilities. Due to a mutation which passed as a transitory outbreak some 24,045 years ago, select Wingless beings were now capable of experiencing the same stimuli enjoyed by the Winged combatants. However much to Zen's and Crea's knowledge, it seems it was only them so far who could utilize the link outside the Merge. It would also explain why Mykage tended to shy away from utilizing the bond (aside from a limited astral projection and verbal communication, which was a little peculiar because, much to Apollonius' recollections, only Mated pairs were able to do so).

The High Commander smirked deprecatingly. He guessed it was probably because of the bad memories and a whole lot of inexperience on the Shadow Angel's end that Mykage hadn't bothered fiddling with the link as much as he'd expected him to have been doing when Apollonius accepted the foreign entity into himself.

Speaking of Mykage, Apollonius spared a glance at the petulant apparition floating close beside him. There was almost nothing of the Shadow Angel that resembled his former betrothed. This Shadow Angel was…effeminate (he could feel Crea shuddering in revulsion!), with softer features and leaner in frame that hid the same cruelty that had been hidden behind Toma's sculpted features.

There was no doubt in Apollonius mind that this little soul fragment had the capacity for malice as its main soul had—he had not forgotten the cold execution performed on _his_ territory—perhaps even more so if he reviewed his memory banks. Even their speech patterns differed. Toma, at his quietest moments when there was no one around but him and Apollonius, was incapable of losing that holier-than-thou tinge lacing his silver tongue. That confident baritone was a far cry from Mykage's soft, poisonous murmurs. And, above all, their feathers were different. It was almost sacrilegious how off the coloring was. Shadow Angels were blessed with each distinct pair of wings that they had—whether by placement, amount, material, or complexion—and no matter what happened to their physical body, the wings must be preserved. Energy that ran like hot fluids through the wings would remain embedded in the feathers despite the carrier's death and this energy was a preservation of the angel's existence and power—almost acting like a historical artifact of that individual. **(1)**

Apollonius narrowed his eyes. Had he not known any better, he never would've connected him to the same self-righteous Shadow Angel that, more often than not, plagued his and Crea's slumbers.

A feathery touch breezed across his mindscape and then Crea transmitted an image of a delicate glass flower within a distorted, dark mindscape. _Mykage._ Transparent and smooth, but jagged with pointed edges. Ripples danced across the projected reflection and the glass abruptly blurred and stretched and morphed into a belladonna—a dull purple flower with delicate petals curving into itself from the heavy weight of water splashed on top of it. A droplet curved down to the tip of a single leaf. Deadly Nightshade poisoning, Apollonius realized. _Toma. _

_I know he's dangerous_, Apollonius projected to Crea, sending images of destruction to convey his words, _but he can be saved_. He sent her a picture of the martyred Christ. _I can handle it._

From Apollonius' right, the little girl frowned and she took another long look at the transparent Shadow Angel (who was doing his best to ignore her and drill a hole into Zen's head). The sole reason why she preferred to stay behind and hand the reins over to Zen regarding their primeval brother-in-arms was to observe the irate apparition. Being the other container of Apollonius' soul, Crea was privy to the emotionally-tinged memories of the times spent together with Toma and it was getting harder and harder to separate this soul fragment from its predecessor. True, Mykage was more emotionally fragile and seemingly did not have the same physical capacity for the sword-to-sword play she and Toma had favored before creation of the Aquarion mechas. The lack of physical strength—which was compensated by the psychological torture Mykage seemed to prefer nowadays—was the first thing she and Zen picked up upon when they reviewed the data gathered on Ianthe's High Priest.

No, scratch that. His information banks contained useless information—Bianca had been tasked with gathering enemy data at that time…so it was unsurprising—which only stated that the "UNUSUALLY ATTRACTIVE MALE?FEMALE?BOTH?" seemed "abnormally fond of vines and flowers. FETISH OR DO HERMAPHRODITE!ANGELS HAVE GREEN-THUMBS?" She fought down a chuckle as the memory arose from when she and Zen had seen the records for the first time. Zen's comically bewildered expression was a memory she would always treasure.

Her jollity faltered when she noticed the apparition shimmer and, as a result, inched an increment closer to her other half. The hair at the back of her neck stood up. Something about Mykage rubbed her the wrong way and inwardly she was concerned that only she seemed to have noticed something wrong was going on.

Zen Fudo, the main bearer and therefore rightfully christened as 'Apollonius,' was keeping their ex-betrothed at an acceptable distance but she could see the metaphorical cracks forming in Zen's armor. Her lips twisted down. She didn't know if it was nostalgia or pity, but Zen—no, Apollonius—was slowly warming up to the weakened angel.

That wouldn't do. Forgiveness must be earned, not freely given.

Raising her indoor voice, Crea expounded, "Once we enter the premises of our joint office, we should be able to discuss much things in an environment suitable for privacy." Verdant and indigo irises swiveled down to peep over her head. A bitter smile touched her lips. "And we have a lot to discuss."

"_I don't see why we cannot start now,"_ Mykage said sullenly, looking at the little space between the two soul bearers. (Almost sensing his uncertainty, the girl fell back so that it was him and "Zen" at the front.) His mind was still blown away by the little revealer. But if that blonde harlot's soul could be split into two, it stands to reason why Apollonius' reincarnation process couldn't have been the same.

_Then again_, he studied the two Apolloniuses, _it could've been an artificial split. Like what with Pollon's_. It was odd knowing he was traveling side by side with two versions of the love of his life—where one was a petite little girl who looked like she could shatter into a million pieces just with a touch and the other an adult Wingless who, by the Wingless societies' perspective, made for quite the attractive picture.

Tucking some of his feathery bangs back behind his ear, Mykage argued, _"This is a secret corridor. It amuses me that you…two see a necessity for a secret hideaway instead of pigeonholing in a secured Command Center. Nothing should be able to escape these walls…or the walls of whence we were."_

"True but our office now has been spelled to disperse any unwanted attention." Apollonius grinned cockily. He loved this current incarnation of his, sad as it was. Successor in both name and blood to the infamous Gen Fudo, "Zen Fudo" was the chosen bag of flesh and bones to birth the new Angel of Death.

Of course he remembered the feeling of guilt slamming into him as he looked down at the innocent babe sleeping in the cradle, but he only had a short frame of time before Sophia Belin stirred from their bed to go check on him and their baby. For the few years they had been married, he pretended to be ailing—it helped when Rena would come over and secretly suck his Prana pint by pint. He remembered the morning with startling clarity, the day "Gen Fudo" died and "Zen Fudo" lived. He remembered kissing the baby's soft forehead and murmuring his parental regrets as he commenced a variant of an archaic Shadow Angel ritual, also a power supposedly only Toma was known to have naturally possessed. Instead of a dimensional transference where the Shadow Angel took control over a Cherubim Soldier across the world, he was performing a permanent soul transference.

He had pressed his bloodied, wrinkled fingers against Zen's rose-petal soft lips and started the chant, softly singing the words and waiting for the latent energy within him to rise up. The baby's eyes had snapped open near the end of the chant and Gen felt his heart stop when Zen started cooing affectionately to him, to his father. Apollonius had almost jerked his hand away when his blood slid into the baby's gumless maw but by then it was too late. That seemingly knowing green gaze stared him down as a light pooled underneath his fingertips and he remembered hot pain coursed furiously through his veins and then the world started tilting and turning black…

By the time he'd regained awareness, he remembered looking up at the bamboo ceiling, his right eye burning. He couldn't help the yawn that escaped his mouth, and it took some time before Zen's physical brain caught up with the remnants of his own mind's faster electrochemical signaling. He had to force his new corneas to focus on the prone figure lying belly flat, limp as a ragdoll on the floor. That was when he knew the ritual had been a success and however upsetting it was to see the empty vessel he had been occupying for 60-some years lying on the floor like its strings had been cut, he knew it had been necessary since the moment he and Rena sensed a sliver of Toma's screaming soul splitting and then ricocheting off to gallivant somewhere across the universe. He knew Sophia wouldn't take "his death" very well at all, but "Gen" needed to be dead. He'd be committing filicide if he waited for little Zen to grow up and he didn't know if he would have had the heart to murder his son if he saw Zen blossoming into an upstanding young man. If it was up to Rena, he would've committed the soul transfer ritual when Zen was but an embryo in Sophia's pregnant belly. Then he wouldn't be performing infanticide. But subsequently Sophia would have had the burden of carrying him to full term without a husband to support her throughout the process, and he cared too much for her to let that fate befall upon her.

Numbly, Apollonius looked down and flexed his gloved fingers. Aside from teleportation, his current Elemental powers seemed to be infinite. Granted his powers seemed to range wildly from the ineffectual to the overwhelmingly impressive.

"We didn't want the Combat or Researching Divisions poking their noses in any of our, ah, _more private_ conversations," Crea broke in, smirking slightly in remembrance. Their bugs had been easy to find and ever-so-easy to discreetly destroy. They had numerous operatives' fingerprints all over the plastic casings. "Because this most definitely would constitute as one." A sudden thought occurred to her and she almost stumbled into Apollonius' back when it hit. Ignoring Apollonius' curious glance, she turned and looked dead into their ex-betrothed's eyes. With an almost grim tone, she inquired, "I apologize for not bringing this up earlier but…would you prefer to be acknowledged as 'Toma' or 'Mykage' henceforth?"

_In other words_, Apollonius whispered down their link, making Mykage shiver, _do you want us to refer to you as the one we remember from our memories or to the personalized entity you are of now? _

"_Never mind the fundamental, familiar essence that I contain_?" Mykage vocalized bitterly, his lips twisting in a thin line. He could sense the animosity directed toward him by the smaller-sized soul carrier. And while the High Commander's own feelings toward him felt subdued, Mykage could again sense the undercurrent of mistrust running rampant in their mental link. The intensity of their suspicions hurt him and it made him want to crawl into a ball and wish himself out of existence. It especially stung knowing it came from the ones he loved the most, whether by residual, involuntary sentiments or by falling for the entities that made up Apollonius, especially the one he desperately wanted to love him back.

Also frowning, Apollonius elucidated slowly, "Before, for convenience's sake, our operatives—"

"And cadets," Crea chipped in, her expression blithe as Mykage shot her an irritated glance over his shoulder.

"—our ranks were instructed to refer to you simply as 'Mykage' or 'High Priest.' But at that time neither I nor Crea saw the need to reveal your true identity." The Shadow Angel only looked more depressed and the brunette was at a loss for why.

Absentmindedly stroking the rough patch on his jaw, the High Commander elaborated, "Had you gone through a straightforward reincarnation cycle, we most likely would've kept to ourselves the information, were we indeed aware of the mystery, pertaining to your predecessor even if you had been created as a mirror image to a notoriously powerful Shadow Angel…"

Mykage preened, and Crea snorted inwardly in their bond.

Apollonius felt a soft smile unfurl at the corner of his mouth. "…but that evidently did not happen and the children were starting to become suspicious—Crea, don't look at me like that. You're the one who opened the book—so we had ourselves a little history lesson. And, I admit, the sudden reeducation of the entire legend was also conducted in the off chance that you actually managed to succeed in rewriting the chapters, creating a "false tale" in the Book of Genesis, with your wide scale coup d'état."

"_Well I wouldn't have used your same roundabout terminology,"_ Mykage retorted, an incredulous white brow escaping under his fringe, "_to describe my chances at attaining victory, which we very well know were very high, before what could be called the impossible happened._"

"Our wings fuel the so-called Legendary Aquarion's power." Crea tilted her head, studying the tensed muscles bunched underneath the thin garment draped on the Shadow Angel's broad back. Oh god, he was leaning closer to her counterpart. Voice strained, she commented, "And that extends to Aquarion EVOL-slash-Aquarion LOVE and the other cute vectors 'birthed' from it. Of course, there is no denying the original is best…"

Here it was Apollonius who scoffed.

"…but the afterimages weren't half-bad, as we have seen firsthand," she finished, raising a brow.

_Our pride is hurt_, Apollonius thought wryly and Mykage, having caught a snippet of the personal thought, chuckled humorlessly. Indigo eyes slid over to peer at the other's dusky complexion and he involuntarily smiled when a curious green eye met his gaze.

Mykage was somewhat disgruntled that the steely composure he'd worked himself into practically melted into a boneless goo by that casual look.

"_Funny…," _Mykage said, his voice softer than normal. Closing his eyes, he gave into the impulse to bury his face against the crook of Apollonius' neck. He leaned in closer and he nuzzled his nose against the silken cravat, craving the mesmerizing warmth of the fragrant flesh that lay underneath. Unavoidably Apollonius stiffened underneath him. Mykage repressed a morose chuckle, too intent on deciphering the fragrance to ruin the moment. The three entities halted, caught up in the surreal moment.

Mykage discreetly tugged the cravat down millimeters and he stared wondrously at the sun-kissed skin that filled his vision. This version of Apollonius smelled of something spicy and sweet, an aroma he for the life of him still cannot put a name to. Initially he'd thought of cinnamon stalks and sugarcanes, but perhaps it was instead a fruit from yore? Altair had a similar berry to the one he was thinking of, shaped like a tomato yet blue as a blueberry and acid green inside, one that he delighted in consuming whenever he lounged in his makeshift throne—which he had crafted from what remained of his shattered crystalline coffin when he had awakened from stasis.

In fact, he remembered his powers manifesting themselves to feed the little redheaded urchin said berries during his stasis. He could still hear the wet crunch of teeth sliding into tender flesh.

Whatever it was, this Apollonius smelled obsessively good and Mykage couldn't help but yearn for more. Sighing happily, Mykage closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He sighed once more in satisfaction, warmth coiling in his chest, in spite of the choked noise the High Commander emitted. He didn't understand why he felt more at comfort around the male adult instead of the younger female one. Countless theories bounced around in his head, some more credible than the others and others just plain ludicrous. Although, naturally, when it had just been Toma, not Mykage and Toma, he was used to the masculine figure of the Sun's Gift. It would stand to reason why he, Mykage, wouldn't be as well. It would explain why the young, womanly shell would perturb him.

"_Funny," _he repeated_, "I'd thought the same."_ Mumbling the last part out, he pressed a brief kiss to the long column and rested his head against a sharp collarbone. He ignored the sharp intake of breath coming behind them. His words rewound in his head. It was for that reason, and a touch of wistfulness, that he decided to chase after the elusive Solar Aquarion trapped somewhere within the remnants of earth's bowels instead of sicing Kagura on the Wingless or waiting it out by having the Gnis Pilots attack and attack and attack until the Vegans' defense fell.

Apollonius shifted on his feet and Mykage could feel two large hands settle tentatively on his hips. He wasn't surprised when Apollonius gently pushed him back. The warmth of those hands seared his flesh and he felt a thrill shoot up his spine. He drank in Apollonius' unreadable expression.

"I think we need to establish some ground rules," a childish, feminine voice broke in coldly. Verdant and indigo irises swiveled down to peer over an iridescent mop that fell into the twin rubies that glimmered back ominously at them. "First of all, I would like to address _boundaries_."

She marched up to the two and shoved the two apart. Paying no attention to the scowl directed her way, Crea turned her back on Mykage and she glared up at Apollonius. "You two are already close enough, what with sharing a body. You don't need to be manifestly attached to the hip. Second of all, we need to address your propensity to disregarding the presence of other persons in the room. Zen, I know having Mykage around when he isn't trying to kill everyone is a novelty but," here she grounded out, "He. Was. Once. Our. Enemy." _And a sadistic, jilted lover_, she projected scathingly, _or don't you remember that he tried to murder all that we considered close_?

At Apollonius' crestfallen expression, Mykage stepped in and hissed, _"I won't stand you slandering me, no matter if you are who you say you are, in front of Apollonius."_

"I AM Apollonius!" she snapped, whirling around and jabbing her thumb at her chest. "Get it through your head! I am as much as Apollonius is as Zen is."

"_He is the main carrier of 'his' soul and that makes him more Apollonius than you ever will be!"_ he roared, his indigo hues darkening into almost black as he glared heatedly at the little girl. Fire coursed through his veins and he was gritting his teeth to stop the stream of vulgarities he wanted to rain down upon her. Collecting himself, he took a few calming breaths to settle his blood and he mocked, _"Perhaps I was operating under these 12,000 years under a misimpression but my eyes are telling me 'High Commander Zen Fudo' holds more abilities than your fleshy prison's, my dear. Or, if you'd prefer, previous reincarnation to 'Rena Rune.' From what I have seen, he can do so. Much. More._"

His lips twisted with each emphasized pronunciation made. He looked down at the fuming girl. His teeth gritting with tension, he demanded, _"Was this 'Rena Rune' also a part of your current situation? But with 'Gen Fudo?'"_

"I don't need to answer that," Crea retorted, crossing her arms. She almost jumped into the air when 'Zen' spoke up behind her, murmuring a gravely, subdued "yes."

Paying no heed to the betrayed crimson eyes, Apollonius straightened his back and he locked gazes with an indigo pair instead. With his lips quirked deprecatingly, he mentioned rather offhandedly, "You know, you never answered her question."

Furrowing his brows at the detour, Mykage questioned, _"The one regarding whether I considered myself as 'Toma' or a separate entity operating under the alias 'Mykage?'"_ He shrugged, and he couldn't help smiling affectionately at the other man. _"I find myself torn between the two personas sometimes. I assume it is similar to your own dilemma?"_

"We've dealt with it," Crea responded frostily, feeling somewhat hurt that the Shadow Angel refused to acknowledge her. Blinking back frustrated tears, she spun on her heels and sauntered the rest of the way to their office, not looking back at the two that followed as she murmured, "I go by 'Crea,' and he as 'Zen' or, in private, I guess he can be addressed as 'Apollonius' as I…agree with the point you made about him having more abilities than I do. He is, after all, the main soul carrier. We are both Apollonius and at the same time we are not." She brushed away the irritating tears and spat, "I can't believe I'm explaining my existence to you. You definitely don't deserve this concession after all you have done. Especially not when no one but us reincarnations of Apollonius know the truth. God, I feel like I'm rewarding you for all the people you have killed."

"Crea," Apollonius muttered, yet the underlying tone was sharp in her mind. Back off, he seemed to say. Take a breather and calm down. Tearing his gaze away from her, he crossed his arms and pierced the memory of his former lover with a composed stare. He continued, "What she meant to say was that 'Gen Fudo' and 'Rena Rune' were the first of our many reincarnations. But they were the first in that they were two separate shells to house an unequal division of our soul. When Rena and I met, that's when the fragmented memories made sense and we could feel something in us yearn for each other whenever we were close together. …It was a long time ago and I remembered being scared out of my wits such a young, impressionable girl was enthralled with me. I thought my juggling skills or magic tricks worked too well on her. Soon I found out that it wasn't the case."

"Thank god," she muttered under her breath.

Apollonius rolled his eyes. "It was merely our separated souls reacting on a subconscious level from our proximity, desiring to be as close as possible so as to have some semblance of conjoining back into one."

At Mykage's startled gaze, a genuine smile slid across Apollonius' features and he said gently, "To this day, we can still feel the pull. But nothing has ever happened."

Sniffling, Crea took a last calming breath and related, "Once we sorted our our memories, which made sense after we pieced them together in chronological order, we had gathered, however impossible it seemed at the time, that we housed the same soul. And that soul was none other than the legendary Angel of Massacre Apollonius." She stopped before a massive steel door and she waited patiently for the scanner's retina and facial recognition systems to finish analyzing her features. She could practically feel the angel's eyes roaming over her stiff-backed posture. "But back then we were simply reincarnations of him. As 'Zen' and 'Crea' however, we are not merely reincarnations of 'Gen' and 'Rena.' We are the same unmoved persons 12,000 years ago."

Mykage pursed his lips and watched silently as the scanner beeped and the door slid up into the wall with a whoosh. He peered inside, taking in the warmth of the office and comparing it to the contrasting gray hues that made up the secret corridor. His gaze fell on the octagonal hollow where the sofas lay. Then his eyes traveled up the hollow's golden steps and to the raised platform where an office desk was situated. It was remarkable how much the two Apolloniuses favored marble. And gold gildings and burgundy furnishings. Raising a brow at the disparity, he glanced down at the Chairwoman and asked, _"Would you mind explaining what you mean by 'unmoved?' Would this have to do with what Apollonius…the one I'm stuck with anyway mentioned before? That your reincarnation cycle is different?"_

"Zen can probably explain it better," Crea sniffed, crossing the threshold into the office. Her heels clicked against the stonework and she hummed underneath her breath. She was pleased that the fireplace was lit. Secretly she was glad to hear the crackle the flames made against the logs because she had felt damn cold in the corridor. "After all, you seem much more comfortable around him than with me."

She took a seat on the L-shaped sectional sofa, upholstered by violet corduroy, and rubbing her hands she watched calmly as Apollonius hunkered down and took the seat adjacent to her, so that his back was facing the windows. Mykage looked on in indecision, not knowing whether he should sit with Apollonius on the stairs (it looked so uncomfortable!) or on the sofa with Crea. He gave a start when Apollonius' boots made a loud thump against the carpeted steps and he stared at the gloved finger pointing nonchalantly at the unoccupied length of the sofa across from Crea.

"Please take a seat there," Apollonius grunted, throwing his head back and combing his hand through disheveled brown locks. "We'll form a little triangle. This way we can talk like civilized beings by being able to see everyone when they have the floor. It won't seem like a two-against-one discussion."

"_I suppose I see the reason in that."_ Mykage nodded hesitantly, and he floated over and stared at the cushion with a dubious look on his face for a moment. Gingerly he sank down on the seat and ignored the little voice in his head whispering of how many filthy Wingless must have occupied the place he was sitting. He crossed his legs, leaning forward and entwining his fingers underneath his chin. _"Now, explain."_

Apollonius smirked. "I'll start. You knew me as 'Gen Fudo' and 'Apollonius.' However I am the same man 12,000 years ago. I only look different due to personal choice."

"_Before when you said this, I did not think much about it…however…I still do not see how that can be."_ Mykage uncrossed his legs and he nibbled on his lower painted lip. He mentally reviewed all that he knew of the average Wingless' life span. _"It would mean you are 12,000 years old and that accomplishment is unachievable for any Wingless! And while you say you look different due to 'personal choice,' one cannot simply change his or her features by pure whimsy. Based on my data, the weight and height of your mortal flesh, even your complexion, is different from who you were before 12,000 years ago. The shape of your cranium is also quite dissimilar. As Gen, your skull was stouter and your jaw line wider, less pointed than it is now. Also the color of your hair is different. Before, it was a much lighter brown. I refuse to believe you look different is due to a face transplant or by surgical treatment. It would also not be by one of your powers because if that was so, I would've heard about such an extraordinary Wingless back when I was simply Toma."_

Wow, stalkerish much? Apollonius repressed the snide commentary itching to burst out of his mouth. He could just picture Crea's wide eyes at the divulged information. In fact—he took a sidelong peek—the Chairwoman's mouth was parted in a slight 'o.'

Both of them were taken aback at how much intimate details the Shadow Angel had known about the person 'Zen' used to be, especially when both of them knew before Toma hadn't been as interested in DEAVA's founder (self-christened supreme commander) because of his preoccupation with Apollo, Aquarion, and the de Alisia siblings.

Steepling his own fingers underneath his jaw, Neo-DEAVA's High Commander divulged, "To an extent, your rationalization is, in a word, accurate. I _do_ appear different. In fact, I look like a new generation Fudo. There is too much dissimilarity for me to pass as the deceased 'Gen.'" He pierced Mykage with a shrewd look. "But you must remember, I am the true bona fide Solar Wing. Or, rather, I have his soul. And memories."

"Well, partially." Crea yawned, daintily covering her mouth. She blinked sleepily at them. The reoccurrence of their reminiscent title _Solar Wing_ certainly threw her for a loop. It had been centuries since anyone had used that particular title. "I have a third of them. The more, um, _humane_ ones more or less. They're rather few compared to the ones Zen has. His is a whole arsenal attached with historical and/or militant context. Sometimes we recall similar ones but more often than not we have to exchange memories in case of any gaps. I describe to him what I remember and offer my input, and he does the same."

"That brings me to my next point. As reincarnations of a Shadow Angel, we had inherited much of his abilities despite being Wingless." Apollonius added, flexing his fingers and studying them with newfound interest. Being born in mortal coil, their human containers couldn't house such a powerful soul as that of a former Shadow Angel's and with its potent powers in one Wingless being. Or perhaps there had been several reincarnations of said Shadow Angel, but not one has lived too long. It was why he and Crea speculated they had been created as Gen and Rena that many eons ago. To stabilize the Soul Merge between the Shadow Angel and the infant Wingless that was to house that reborn soul. "Mykage, Toma, whoever you are, you were right in assuming I was more 'Apollonius' than my counterpart. Both in this life and the life before. As you can see, I am more…ah, _expressive_ than she is."

"_She operates with approximately one-third of the Solar Wing's soul and memories,"_ Mykage breathed, instantly catching on to the implied undertone. He tapped his fingers against his chin. _"Meaning she is of lesser innate abilities and lesser attributes of striking resemblance to the ancient Apollonius. But that would mean…"_ he looked sharply upon the drowsy Chairwoman, _"…she is two-thirds of another soul. Or, as you appear to insinuate, she is two-thirds vacant of one._"

"You are as quick as I remember," Apollonius intoned approvingly, clapping his hands. Mykage felt something warm curl inside his chest again, but this time at the commander's visible pleasure. Face hot, he averted his eyes from the other's wide grin. Chuckling, Apollonius continued, "Yes, Rena Rune was indeed two-thirds vacant. And, accordingly, that vacancy has been passed on to 'Crea Dolosera.' I, on the other hand, having two-thirds of Apollonius' soul, resembled much of my former image barring physical appearance. Unlike Rena, Gen—mind you, this is odd referring to myself in third person—was more complete. Like all other reincarnations, his soul was properly mixed with the old and the new. That was why the memories were few and far between."

"Unsystematic," Crea added. "Very random. Seemingly not making any sense until we met."

"How much do you know of the reincarnation cycle? You are not a true reincarnation of Holy Angel Toma Epanort. You are a part of him, a shadow of his love so to speak. If we want to be technical, he gave birth to you, the first and quite possible the last Shadow Angel in the last 12,000 years. Therefore I must confess I am hesitant to reveal further information for fear of losing you as we carry on our conversation. I don't know how much _you_ know."

"_I am familiar with enough."_ He waved dismissively through the air. _"Continue."_

"Let's just say when a soul is reincarnated, it is only done so after it has been held in stasis. The more powerful souls are held for a longer period of time while the weaker, minor ones are constantly reborn on earth—Vega or Altair—and occasionally, by some fluke or miracle, new souls are generated amongst the old and powerful. That much I remember from when I was Apollonius."

Crea pouted. _It's not fair only he gets to remember something as important as that_, she thought sadly.

"I suppose, ah, _my_ soul would be considered old and powerful simply because I—sorry, forgot I was going to refer to myself in third person to make the explanation easier…I'll stop now—Apollonius was a 'Shadow Angel.' Not only had he been a frontline commander for the Lord's army, he was Solar Wing, the Angel of Massacre and Death, and more notably _his wings and body_ harnessed the great, blessed Sun's Gift. If Apollonius had to be reborn—and he eventually would have had to given his _murdered_ soul was not an exception to the reincarnation cycle—only another Shadow Angel could've housed his soul without any prominent repercussions. But since, excluding your special circumstances, a Shadow Angel had not been born in the last 24,000 years, it was evident I was to be somehow reincarnated as a Wingless. But it would take time. A longer time since Apollonius' 'old and powerful soul' had to be compressed into one tiny container that was not meant to contain such memories and abilities."

"_As interesting as it is, I'm afraid I must cut short that train of thought."_ Mykage held up a hand, his iridescent bangs falling into troubled eyes. He looked down on the floor. _"Are you saying, had anyone of Lord Johannes' Court given birth to a Shadow Angel, that it…would have been…you?"_

Apollonius' expression had been both gentle and empathetic. "I do not know for sure but—"

"Yes, we would've been reborn as another Shadow Angel instead of waiting 12,000 years to be reincarnated as the Wingless Gen and Rena," said Crea bluntly, scrutinizing the little flinch Mykage gave off at her frank words. Bastard probably thought this whole situation could've been avoided if one of the remaining Shadow Angels besides Toma had completed the Vow of Wings. She suddenly recalled when the Earth split into two and it had flashed into her mind alternate realities that had befallen their parallel selves. In one of them...Toma, poor Toma. He had made the most primitive, basic vow with the reincarnation of the Winged Hound—under the impression that Apollo was the Solar Wing—and had been distraught when the budding embryo had died in the protective armor of Cherubim Verizeva, a customized mechanical angel only Toma had piloted.

Crea shot a discreet look at her counterpart, narrowing her eyes at the brunette's chastened expression. His angular features temporarily morphed back into Gen's familiar features in her mind as she reviewed that night. She remembered Gen looking with the same guilty air at the holocom and she as Rena had been at a loss for why when before they had been both rooting for Apollo, Silvia, and Hong Lihua (who at that time was more famously known by her nickname Reika). They'd both agreed to keep it a secret that they were the true reincarnations of the legendary Apollonius and to not say a word when everyone had thought his pet's reincarnation was him. So she didn't understand why Gen felt so remorseful to the same being that had ended their life as Apollonius.

Of course, it had occurred to her later on that those events could not have happened this side of the universe. Hence that guilty expression of his could not have existed.

"_If I had known,"_ she was jerked out of her recollections by a heartbreakingly small voice, "_I—_"

"Mykage," Apollonius said kindly, "what's done is done. You are not at fault for the beings that we are today. You couldn't have known I might've been reborn back as one of you 24 millennia ago."

"_I'm aware but I…please let me finish, Apollonius."_ When the High Commander closed his mouth, Mykage looked down and fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. Biting his lip, he mumbled, _"If I had known, I would've endeavored to find an alternative instead of relying on the Tree of Life like the rest of the fools to breed a glorious new race. Perhaps, instead of waiting for the Solar Wing to become strong and pollinate it, I could've made a Vow of Wings with…Otoha. Or I could've pushed for experiments through artificial birthing. I could've—"_

No longer able to stand it, Apollonius surged to his feet and stalked away, aggravated, raking his hands through his hair. He didn't want to hear more of the angel's ruminations. Breathing slowly, he leaned forward on the walnut office desk, his side bangs curving into his shadowed eyes. His back was toward the other two and they could see the tensed muscles bunched underneath the formfitting vest. Apollonius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension there.

He hitched a hip up a corner of the desk and, stifling his high-strung emotions, he turned back and aimed a fake smile at them. "So I take it you still identify yourself as Toma Epanort."

"_I have said before that I…"_

"But not a while ago you were considering what _you_, Mykage, would've done had you been aware of my circumstances. But it was Exalted Holy Angel Toma, not self-proclaimed Destroyer of Love and High Priest Mykage, who existed in that time. So that begs to question," he bent forward, his arms crossed and his grin increasing, "which Shadow Angel you identify with more."

Mykage's indigo eyes widened and his painted lavender lips parted in the same teasing grin. _"Oh, well played."_

"I have my moments," he replied glibly, tapping his cheekbone. He surveyed Crea's hesitant expression, like she didn't know how to react to the suddenly light-hearted banter. Taking pity on her, he nudged the conversation back into familiar waters. "But as you seemingly identify with your past self—since you are, after all, the same Shadow Angel—Crea and I don't exactly with ours. Apollonius has reincarnated time and time again, with each reincarnation cycle, in different mortal coils. I'm not exactly cognizant of all the forms he has taken, but we believe he has been through the entire animal kingdom—as repentance—before reincarnating as a human."

"We've done an extraordinary amount of research to formulate this theory," Crea said softly, twirling her iridescent lock. "In our findings, every other centuries or so, an animal or Wingless has been born with abilities similar to the Angel of Massacre's. With that amount of reoccurrences, there was no way it could've been a mere coincidence."

"But we also found out not one of them was able to sustain a long life. Well, the average life span of the species he had been reborn in, that is. Apollonius' soul overwhelmed them. That was why Gen and Rena eventually came into play 24,000 years ago. We were stable. And that's why we still exist to this day."

He glanced to his right at the burgundy wall panels and the gold gilding framing each one along the wall. He drummed his fingers against his thigh. "We met, whether fortuitously or by Fate's design, figured out who we were, and started DEAVA to ready the Wingless for war against the Shadow Angels in what came to be known among the generations as the 'Great Catastrophe.'"

The High Commander slid a glance back at the only remaining Shadow Angel who had on an intense look of concentration etched on his face. He smiled inwardly. So Mykage _had_ been paying close attention to the dialogue. Deep down inside, Apollonius hoped what he was about to reveal wasn't going to come bite them should the soul sliver ever come to decide to backstab them. Bunching his hands into fists, Apollonius murmured in his low baritone, "The rest you should already know. Rena and Gen led from the shadows, Apollo saved the day, Toma discovered who the Solar Wing really was…but what you didn't know is how the true reincarnations remained immovable in the flow of time."

"I'll save you the bother of enlightening you on the happily ever afters of all the Wingless combatants involved back then," Crea interrupted once more, glowering at the uneven tips of her locks. She could tell her counterpart was about to ask for forgiveness for what the Shadow Angel had deemed their actions to be the_ Greatest Betrayal_. "Suffice to say, we were aware you had split yourself into two and we couldn't pass up the slim chance that that temporarily weakened soul sliver could rear his head and target the Earth in a dirty act of retribution." She rolled her eyes when the astral projection practically bristled from her cutting words. "Obviously we weren't sure how long it'd take you to recuperate. It could be a month, years, centuries, and so on. We couldn't risk that chance of us leading normal lives as a somewhat extraordinary human and leave Vega to find for itself without our needed assistance."

She pierced Mykage with a merciless look. "Now what I'm about to reveal, you have to promise me you won't overreact."

"…_Why?"_ Mykage queried cautiously, leaning forward in his seat, as if narrowing the gap between him and the female Apollonius would provide him all the answers to the universe. _"You've already told me so much and I haven't done anything dreadful. I'm afraid I cannot promise you that if you're already imploring me to behave for details which I am already suspecting I'm not going to like."_ He scowled when Crea remained unbudged, pinning him with that steady look. He felt like a child again, being reprimanded for juvenile mischief by one of the elders. Except, ironically, he was the adult and Crea was the minor. He muttered mulishly, _"I'll…behave. Promise."_

"Look Zen in the eyes and swear it."

_For the love of… _Mykage's mouth thinned. His stomach churned unsteadily. It must be one heck of a reveal for the girl to insist on continuing this farce. Sighing theatrically, he threw a hand over his heart and drawled almost in a bored tone, _"I swear on my and my previous life's honor that I won't…overreact to whatever you have to say to me next."_

"So mote it be." She crossed her arms. "Say it."

"_So mote it be,"_ he repeated, raising a brow at that unfamiliar lingo. Brushing the velvety material of the cushion underneath him, he settled his gaze back on Crea and asked, _"So what is it that you wanted to tell me that you were afraid I was going to make a big deal over?"_

Her gaze was searching and he permitted her to study him all she wanted because whatever this is she needed reassurance from him in something other than his words. Mykage forced himself to assume a relaxed position and he sunk back into the sofa, an innocuous, genial expression filling his face. Finally she must've found what she had been looking for because she turned her head and grunted, "Gen and Rena married and had kids."

Ice chilled his veins and his lips parted in a surprised 'o'. He chuckled nervously, disbelieving his ears. The two vessels pledged a life together even though they shared the same soul? They were that close! His jaw tightened. _"I beg pardon? I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that. I almost thought you mumbled that you two married and bore fruit. But it couldn't be because—" _

"No, it's not like that! We married other people!"

Mykage's mouth closed when he caught sight of the red coloring on her face. Comprehension quickly dawned on him. He swallowed against the stone in his throat. Steeling his expression, he whispered, _"I see. You two found someone to live the rest of your lives with after the war. Anyone but me."_ He bet whoever they married had short blond hair.

Apollonius tore his gaze away from the wall and he immediately straightened up at the hurt undercurrent in the Shadow Angel's words. His wild gaze landed on the astral projection and he let loose a relieved sigh when he saw that Mykage wasn't about to relapse into another fit of fury. But…despite the nonchalant air the angel adopted, there was a trace of pain lingering in those indigo pools. _Oh shit._ _He can't handle it._ "Crea, that's enough for today. We can finish this line of conversation another time."

Taking long strides to the hollowed platform, he clicked his boots down the stairs and he stopped before the astral projection who had his head bowed before him. Ignoring the searing look directed against his back, Apollonius bent at the waist and he took the Shadow Angel's soft hands into his own gloved ones. Making sure his voice was mellifluous and gentle, he coaxed, "Mykage, look at me."

When the Shadow Angel remained unresponsive, Apollonius curved a finger underneath the pointed chin and he lifted Mykage's face up so that misty indigo pools met an eye patch and a sympathetic green eye. The poor angel…Apollonius felt something akin to parental concern stirring within his chest.

Granted, the subject in question was more of a grown man that acted more like a child that acted more often than not with inappropriate overtures. Unconsciously he rubbed a thumb over one of Mykage's cheekbone and once he realized what he had been doing, he let himself marvel at how smooth the skin felt underneath the thin material of his neoprene gloves. He said seriously, "I think it's enough. We can continue this little saga another time. It's a long, complicated story and it will come up again when you're ready."

Mykage opened his mouth to protest but Apollonius shushed him. Gently brushing the stray feathers away from the Shadow Angel's eyes, Apollonius' stern expression gentled and as if addressing a small, frightened child, he whispered, "It must've come as such a shock to you, finding out that the man you had been chasing wasn't one but was made of two individuals. On top of that, you soon discovered already so much that no one else has ever known before. You must be exhausted by all the twists and turns that has happened today." He stroked Mykage's chest, fingertips ghosting over the area he'd seen the pink energy blast slam into. He pushed _comfort_ and _security_ across their link as subtly as he could.

The astral form looked down to the floor and then brought his heavy-lidded gaze back up as if magnets were forcing him to look upon Apollonius' visage. Mykage nodded shyly, reaching up to overlay his hand with the warm hand placed over his chest. Smiling charmingly, Apollonius pulled away and stood up, extending his arms out. He inclined his head. Needing no invitation, Mykage scooted closer and looped his arms around the thin waist. Brushing his face against the brunette's garments, he breathed in the natural cologne as a balm to calm his turbulent emotions down.

"Poor little Shadow Angel, my own beloved," Apollonius' warm, deep baritone crooned into his ear. Mykage felt Apollonius' hand rubbing against his back in a comforting gesture. Mykage consoled himself with the thought of how much pleasure he would take in having Apollonius care for him…just…this…once. Mykage allowed the gentle rumbling to wash him away from his poisonous thoughts. His long lashes drooped and he bowed his head and he nuzzled his nose against Apollonius' green shirt collar. He felt so tired and the lullaby of Apollonius' beating heart pressed against his ear was oh so alluring.

"You must want your rest so badly after ALL you'd been through," Apollonius' voice rumbled above, his voice an enticing purr. "My beautiful other soul, your body must be bruised from the cadets' callous assaults on your person. Rest. Relax. Come back into me and take your well deserved break. Rest until you are strong again. Rest inside me, Mykage."

Mykage nodded dazedly and just like that he was but a ghost in the High Commander's strong arms. Apollonius slid his hands into his pockets. Traces of iridescent whites and purples faded in a hazy fog in front of him and he held his breath until the last traces disappeared.

* * *

"That was rather mean of you."

Breathing out, Apollonius turned to face the calm and collected figure perched daintily on the sectional sofa. He matched her stare. "Everything happened so suddenly. He was being overwhelmed, I had to bring the conversation to a halt." _Besides, I acted the way you wanted me to_, he projected, cocking a brow. _I seduced him with equanimity and kindness. You're just sour he won't be getting his comeuppance. _

He reused the audio and images of how he treated the Shadow Angel and contrasted it with Crea's cold responses. He also shared images of Mykage pressing up against him (he pretended a large, affectionate cat was being pressed up against him each time that it had happened...otherwise he'd remember what terrifying situation he was in) and Mykage turning his nose up at her. He hoped she understood what he was trying to say through their two-way link.

Crea frowned and looked, really _looked_ at him. Her lips thinned. "Still, you know he can't resist us."

"He can't resist _me_," Apollonius corrected, a frown furrowing his brows. Indeed the Destroyer of Love seemed powerless against his honeyed words. It was a potent weapon that could be used a couple of times, he realized, before the test subject started developing resistance. Apollonius chuckled scornfully, raking a hand through his hair. He treaded forward and offered his hand. "But he's inexplicably hostile toward you."

"We need a bit of discrepancy," she sighed, grabbing his hand and hoisting herself from her seat. She almost stumbled over his toes. "We already agreed, in his presence, to refer to you as 'Apollonius,' weird as it is when we've established we're both separate individuals that happened to have been reincarnated with _his_ memories and _his_ abilities. Yet, I cannot help the occasional slips but…you are no longer 'Zen.' And to solidify the dissimilarity, although he knows I am partly his lover, I will remain as 'Crea.' Other people won't see it that way were they to come across the truth but…it'll be like letting Mykage in on our little secret. It'll make him believe. We need to make it easier for him to differentiate between us two, especially since we're doing the bad-cop-good-cop routine because otherwise he could wake up one day and think it'd be mighty swell to own two Apolloniuses and take over your motor controls and my—"

Crea stopped suddenly and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What is he doing anyway? Slumbering? I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest when you started openly manipulating him. I hope you had taken this opportunity to shield this current conversation from him in case he riffles through your memories."

"He's asleep," Apollonius grinned unabashedly, patting her head. She scowled adorably at the treatment. Dropping his smile, he slowly withdrew his arm. He clasped his hands behind his back, assuming perfect military posture. "We should count our lucky blessings he's inexperienced when it comes to actual mind raping."

She visibly winced. "Must you call it that? I-it sounds so…so cruel."

"It'd be even crueler if we pushed him too much and consequently give him too much to think about." He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "You remember how he used to be. He is either an asset or a liability to us. Neo-DEAVA needs him as an asset.

"I admit I, like you, am almost in disbelief how exaggerated Mykage's cruelty is, enforced by an insane obsession for whatever has caught his eye. And, unfortunately, that means us. He is incapable of understanding true affection because he has not been…on the receiving end of such care. Aside from his inherited memories. So that's why he's targeting us, shades of his former lover. Creepy as it is, we have to get used to it."

"He _used_ to be _incapable_ of understanding the _sheer concept_ of love _until_ he got energy-blasted by Aquarion LOVE," she said, stressing certain words. "He's still a shadow of Toma's devotion to Apollonius, a brilliant, judicious Shadow Angel who thought the world of Solar Wing. Zen, I don't know about this. We're manipulating a living being with sentient feelings and intelligence." Her eyes were haunted. "You're lucky that you have the happier emotions of _his_ time together with _his_ fellow angels and also with the humans. I only have embittered, desperate memories and Apollonius' morality."

"Crea…"

"No, no, I digress." She shook her head, ignoring his concerned gaze. "Remember how you said it was creepy how he's so…fixated on us? That's why I just can't believe you took him in under your wing just like that! You have lingering sentiment toward him, Zen. It'll blind you once he deceives us. His obsessive advances toward you are bordering cardinal sin. He loves you too—"

"He doesn't love me," Apollonius protested. "He's in love with _the idea_ of loving me. That is why he's so fixated on…wait, what did you mean 'toward me?' You're also a part of Apollonius! This includes you."

"Not in the way he's thinking!" Crea exclaimed, slapping his abdomen. Curse her height! She glowered up at him through her wavy bangs. She clung to her anger, afraid that if she treated her counterpart normally she was going to shatter. Dealing with Toma, not matter if Mykage was only his soul sliver, had always been taxing on her. Why couldn't he see that they were in a treacherous situation?

Throwing her arms up, she blathered, "Why haven't you noticed? He's so infatuated with the idea of _you_ being his past lover that no one else comes close to the _remastered_ ideal image of his precious Apollonius! Even after we revealed my identity, he still focuses on you. He _knows_, instinctively, that I represent Apollonius' morality, the morality that tore him away from Toma. The same morality that made Apollonius side with the humans!"

Stomping her foot, Crea pounded him once more on the stomach with her tiny fist. Frustrated tears threatened to slip out. "I saw him get all creepy-close with you, Zen, yet he treats me like an infuriating version of Otoha after she gets crazy jealous of you and whines to him about you monopolizing his time. Something's wrong. I know you had this grandiose plan on redeeming him but he is irre—"

Her sentence screeched to a halt and she stared at the gloved hand that had latched onto her wrist. Curiously Crea peered back up at him, falling silent once she caught sight of his expression.

"I will make him atone for his transgressions," Apollonius said quietly, his face clouded. "And I, the one who decided to sit back these 12,000 years, will take the full brunt of our and Apollonius' sins by…welcoming him into _my_ body. I will bring closure to the unfiished story of Toma and Apollonius. Besides…"

He looked away, tightening his grip unconsciously. "…he is vulnerable. And accepting of present conditions. But who knows when he'll change his mind? If we are to take advantage of the situation this would be the optimal time to act on it."

Crea's gaze softened. Looking down at his large hand, she commented, "He is as starved for physical affection as I remembered him. But clingier. It's almost sad."

"I'm aware." Letting loose a sigh, he disentangled himself and stood back, resuming his previous posture. He still kept his eyes averted. "If we stick with the plan, in the long run it'll only benefit all of humankind. Even if we feel like the world's biggest assholes, we need this operation to succeed."

"Indeed," she murmured, mouth quirked. "A sadistic, vengeful Shadow Angel wouldn't exactly make for a pretty picture in anyone's head." Her expression sobered. "It still doesn't make it right."

"'Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not,'" he softly quoted, basking in the resulting pensive air that shrouded her small form.

"Caiaphas, the High Priest mentioned in the Gospel of John, John 11:49-50?" She laughed quietly. "You couldn't just say, 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?' I can't believe I'm saying this but…I agree with Mykage. You have a roundabout way of saying things."

"'Indeed,'" he parroted back, and with the familiarity of their usual banter the tenseness between them dissipated. With matching smiles, they watched each other calmly, not feeling at a rush to part ways yet. There is so much to discuss, he realized with a sudden pang. But there was the risk that the affected party might overhear sensitive information. Mykage's presence, which was like a low-key vibration in the back of his mind, overcomplicated things. Sharing bodies wasn't quite what he had in mind when he had been drafting the parameters of said plan of his. He'd been anticipating something more of an antagonistic exchange of words, then possible coaxing and making amends. And maybe a beating-over-the-head-with-a-stick if things didn't go according to plan.

Another pang hit him as he became conscious of the oversight he may have made in hastily accepting half of the original Angel of Massacre's betrothed inside him. If things went south, he didn't want to think of having a pissed-off ancient creature on a warpath after him.

Well, on second thought Mykage had dedicated a significant portion of his life seeking out his baby—Aquarion—and making his displeasure known for being deceived when he had existed as Toma. So technically, he had to admit to himself, the angel had been on a warpath after him from the get-go.

But then again, said angel was still "in love with him." The High Commander's lips twisted down in displeasure. That sentimentality was the one part he, the major vessel for Apollonius' soul and memories, didn't exactly care for at all. Faking intimacy with a nefarious mythical creature wasn't high up on his list of things-to-do. Judging by their previous interactions, he had no problem pretending he was dealing with an overly affectionate child stuck in a grown man's body. At most he could chalk up his acceptance of the situation to the shame he felt—guilt still ate away at him for the slipshod choices he made when he was Gen and for the memories of the treachery the _original_ _him_ put his betrothed through—and his pitiful attempt at penance.

"Remember when it just used to be 'Rena' and 'Gen,' two clueless humans with the memories of a Shadow Angel's?" Crea's soft, feminine voice broke through his musings. There was a look in her eyes that made something in him feel uncomfortable. "Remember when we first laid our eyes upon the memory of Apollonius meeting Toma? Remember your words—?"

"'Whoever you are, I know what I did to you in my previous life. I remember your love and I'm sorry.'" Apollonius recounted quietly, swallowing hard at the embarrassing memory. The tip of his ears felt hot at the recollection.

"Yes, well you did say that." There was an odd quirk to her mouth, half formed in-between a smile and a grimace. "But no, I wasn't referring to _that_. I had meant the time when you were out of it and whispered something that sounded like, 'I haven't met you yet. We will meet each other again.'" Another peculiar look crossed her face at the reappearance of that dialogue and she started again hesitantly, "Zen, back then…when you said those words, were you—"

"Crea, it is past 23:45," he interjected hastily, looking at the pocket watch that magically appeared from the front waistcoat pocket (because she knew for a fact that that silver watch threaded through a buttonhole by a thin chain wasn't part of his property before). The flush had extended to his cheeks. "Not only do we have to wake up early, we have to discuss diplomatic concerns 05:30 with four of the brightest, esteemed pilots Vega and Altair has to offer. We are already lacking the sufficient amount of sleep needed for lucid deliberation tomorrow."

_Well if that wasn't the most subtle way of saying the conversation's closed_, she thought snidely. But fine, she'll humor him. Glancing at the engraved back of the casing, she responded, "True, attaining the ideal eight-hours isn't something we could consider presently. What I wouldn't give to be back at my nice, large, warm bed where I have no one to encroach on my privacy."

And because she had no qualms being a bratty bitch, she smiled sweetly at him and chirped, "Salutations on acquiring a bed partner! Pleasant dreams!"

She teleported out.

* * *

Apollonius groaned, stretching his arms over his head until he could hear his spine cracking and then scrubbing his haggard face with his naked hands. He had snapped his gloves off and deposited them somewhere on top of his dresser when he'd entered his room, after programming the artificial intelligence system in the data mainframe to set an alarm for him at 04:30. He distantly remembered his vest had been the next to go, folded neatly over the chair he had left by the bed. With a yawn, he quickly toed off his shoes and he sank down on the soft bedding.

Oh god, his bed. He _loved_ his bed.

Peeling his eyepatch off and placing it on his nightstand, he swung his legs over and he got underneath the covers. Clad in his white dress shirt and black slacks and cashmere-silk socks, he felt overdressed for the occasion but he didn't want to risk waking up to his original's betrothed eyeballing him in his undergarments. He even felt too ill at ease to take a shower, in case the presence at the back of his mind decided to wake up and project himself when Apollonius was wet and naked.

…He needed a serious talk with Mykage once they were both awake. The constant paranoia was detrimental to his sanity.

Staring at the blank white ceiling, he counted to seventeen mental sheep jumping over a wooden fence before his mind became engulfed in darkness and he fell into a peaceful sleep in his comfortable platform bed.

He didn't know what time it was but he found himself awoken early in the morning with a heavy weight on top of his chest. Something was drawing slow, invisible circles against the thin material of his shirt and it took awhile for his brain to catch up with the illogicalness of the situation. A slender finger was making the serene, almost languid pattern against his chest and—holy shit, MYKAGE! Disgruntled and disoriented, he cracked open an eye and the first thing he could see was a mantle of iridescent feathers that barely tickled his forehead and the sides of his face. He silently glowered up at the twinkling indigo orbs staring down at him.

"_You're awake,"_ the annoyance commented airily, his breath fanning across Apollonius' jaw. The Shadow Angel was situated above the High Commander, legs splayed to either side of Apollonius' torso, his weight on top of his body. Chuckling, Mykage brushed back the brown strands that had fallen onto Apollonius' face. Delicately resting his elbows on Apollonius' chest, he placed his jaw on top of his hand and he continued peering down bemusedly at the prone figure lying underneath him. He purred, _"Had a nice nap?"_

"I was," Apollonius mumbled, too tired to feel unnerved by the astral projection's close proximity. It should alarm him that he was becoming used to his personal space being infringed upon constantly but with the many times he remembered Toma doing the same when he had truly been 'Apollonius,' he couldn't help it. He bit back the yawn that was threatening to escape him and he suddenly noticed it was still dark outside. Great, it wasn't time to wake up. Muttering something about nighttime donuts and unmovable stones under his breath, he sighed, "Did you just come out or did you take your time observing your new environment before I woke up?" …_Unfortunately._

"_Well, as you know, ignorance is bliss,"_ he replied readily with a broad smirk on his face. _"With that line of thought, knowing you, the sort of person you are, you wouldn't like either answer._"

But with the reminder of his surroundings, he peered around, taking in the neatly folded garment on the dark cherry wood side chair nearby and the sparse embellishments that would've made the room appear more inhabited. Oh, there were medals and honors scattered around and paperwork and pens out on the aluminum writing desk, but the room seemed…simple, in Mykage's humble opinion. Even bathed in darkness, he could tell the room was overwhelmingly white in color. It didn't add up. _"It begs to question…is monochromatic your favorite color scheme?" _He looked back down at Apollonius' face and didn't comment on the commander's evident fatigue._ "With the flamboyant way you dressed this life, I was expecting something more…colorfully mismatched. Your room's rather spartan."_

"With the amount of times Crea and I had to move around, it didn't make sense to waste the time and effort decorating our living arrangements," he revealed jadedly, hiding another yawn with another sigh. "This is only temporary. I'm not one to easily break habits."

"_Yes, your impromptu history lesson did seem to imply 'moving around' a lot. Naturally this was meant to deter suspicions as to your…immortality?"_

Apollonius felt himself go still at his words. Immortality? Who said anything about immortality? He hadn't mentioned he was…his brain kicked once more into gear and he felt himself relax. Okay, Mykage was just asking harmless questions. It was as expected for someone in the angel's situation to be inquisitive. At the back of his head, Apollonius knew he had to be open and candid lest the angel's trust in him drops. However much he didn't like delving into his private affairs, there was a necessity to keeping the angel at ease. He admitted, "It's not something we go around advertising. As I said, my reincarnation cycle is different. Unusual."

Mykage was silent. Then he posed almost hesitantly, _"Different from…from your other half's?"_

A beat. Apollonius closed his eyes. His jaw tensed, he gritted out, "Yes."

He could feel Mykage's eyes drilling a hole into his closed off expression. The angel demanded, _"Elaborate. As a Wingless, I don't see how that's possible for someone in your situation."_

_It's because I'm awesome like that,_ the thought came popping into his head. Apollonius held back a snide snicker. Cadet Andy Hole's witty vernacular seemed to fit every situation Apollonius found himself in, no matter how inappropriate. Making sure that his link to Mykage's was slammed shut—he didn't want to leak sensitive information or his dirty thoughts by accident—he expanded, "We left off with Crea's parting words, with her trying to explain to you we…got hitched. I'm sure you remember Sophia Belin, my third-in-command when I was merely 'Gen Fudo.' She was the other blonde Wingless you'd encountered sometime in your stint as Toma."

"_I do not remember the pleasure of having such an encounter."_

Okay, yeah, apparently his "brides" was still a sore spot with the angel. The underlying hostility was unmistakable. Crap. He had to treat this situation like ripping a Band-Aid off. Steeling his nerves, he plowed forward, "She gave birth to our last child, Zen Fudo, and by that time I was in my sixties and I knew dying and going through another reincarnation wouldn't be of any constructive use in another Great Catastrophe were I to be reborn without any memories as my life as 'Gen' and 'Apollonius.' That's why I…" He suddenly couldn't force the words out of his mouth. He tried again. "That's why I-I—"

"_That's why you…?"_ Mykage trailed, his brain riddled with theories and questions. There was one conjecture that stood out, when Apollonius mentioned the child was christened 'Zen,' but it couldn't be. There was no way Apollonius took his son's place. Could he? With a troubled expression, he questioned, _"Without the proper information I can only speculate that you…did away with him and stepped in as 'Zen Fudo' after several years because…out of all your spawn, while I cannot see but the most basic likeness, your youngest…resembled you the most? Physically? I believe I'm starting to understand now. Your identity as Gen Fudo would've eventually had to disappear if you were to pass yourself as your long lost son. If you didn't, ah, I see. If you didn't, your identity as a normal, Wingless human commander would've been compromised. While I am uncertain if you had the ability to alter your physical appearance, you must've undergone extensive surgery and training in order to appear before your…family as an adult human Zen. The anecdote you must've come up with would've been quite compelling to explain your disappearance and sudden reentrance into your…family's life."_

Apollonius' face spasmed involuntarily. He laughed derisively, "I get what you're saying. While you touched on some elements of the truth, you couldn't have been more wrong." Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he continued, "When I agreed I am…immortal, immovable in time if you'd will, I did not mean that I was immortal when I was Gen. I understand you must be confused. I apologize, it's hard to put into words. I…as Gen Fudo I was simply an ordinary human with memories of a Shadow Angel. If I hadn't…'done away with' my son I would've died an ordinary human's life. Gone through another ordinary reincarnation cycle."

"_But that wasn't the case."_

"'But that wasn't the case,'" he repeated softly, gripping the bed sheets tightly. "As long as I'm alive, I bear the sin of murdering my own flesh and blood by…by taking his place." As if to confirm his words, a tanned hand lifted to caress his collarbone. Underneath the warm pads of his callused fingers, Apollonius could feel the hard ridge of jutting bone and pulsating blood. Bone and blood that belonged to his baby boy.

This wasn't good. He was getting choked up. Taking a shaky breath, he cleared his features and waited calmly for his emotions to settle despite the heavy gaze pinned on his blank face. He didn't want to talk much more about this but it had to be said. Shuddering, Apollonius murmured in a dead voice, "A long time ago, Rena and I unearthed a memory when we came across the _Book of Twin Stars_ in one of our travels. With each page turned the more we remembered the rituals and spells we learned when we were a Shadow Angel. You should be familiar with the one I decided to cast over my son. Dimensional soul transference or, in this case, an eternal soul transference."

There was a sharp intake of air and Apollonius knew Mykage was starting to connect the pieces.

"_Impossible, you…," _there was shock laden in his tone,_ "instead of a Cherubim Soldier, you transferred your soul into your son's? You…you exchanged bodies?"_

"You of all people should know a soul transference does not constitute exchanging bodies," Apollonius rejoined tiredly. "Since the vessel I was occupying wasn't an empty machine, my soul mixed with his but I, being the stronger one, ended up with the most control. _I_ became the 'aware soul.' When I 'woke up' as 'Zen,' I was relieved to find my memories as Gen and Apollonius were still attached and the abilities I had transferred over to the new body I occupied."

"_It-it would explain your immortality but you are 'Zen Fudo.' In this life."_ Mykage glanced down at the warm physique underneath him. Exhilaration bubbled in his veins, making him lightheaded. Infinity was the power of gods. The power to appear at any place and bless at any time belonged _only_ to his kind. He was captivated by the seemingly human body present in his audience. It was unprecedented that Apollonius, despite being Wingless, was capable of performing a ritual very few Shadow Angels had been able to accomplish aside from himself—and a few other of his comrades at the once-preexisting Atlandia (he had had his suspicions). "Did you make an everlasting vow with other harlots in order to continue this ritual these 12,000 years?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Apollonius snapped, slamming his eyes open to glare at him, "thinking that I went through the same ordeal each century just because Crea and I made a pact to stop you from destroying the rest of the Wingless population because of what we did long ago. Fortunately," here his voice was as frosty as the arctic winds, "it turns out amongst my son's abilities, he was compatible with the remnants of my wings. With his Element, I lived up to my namesake as an infinite being that remains immovable in time."

"_You…"_ Mykage's eyes were wide and his lavender lips were now slightly parted with the information he had been dealt. _"You have…"_

"I have some my old feathers embedded in this body," he confirmed, feeling his gut squeeze at how that must have come across to the Shadow Angel. He recalled the angel's fervent pleas earlier today to procreate another generation of Shadow Angels and the horrorstruck face made at his deadpan reminder that he was technically Wingless. He hoped he wasn't giving Mykage new ideas. With that in mind, he hurried to explain, "I do not have enough in me to classify myself as a Shadow Angel or even a hybrid. With Zen's dormant Elemental powers, I simply unlocked them and amongst the hodgepodge he had the potential of absorbing the feathers as fuel to maintain his existence. Our wings were, after all, the force behind our continuous survival."

"_In essence,"_ Mykage said slowly, _"you are consuming your own feathers to…to continue your immortality?"_

"To an extent," Apollonius established just as cautiously. "At least, that is the theory. Beside the two I took into Zen's body, I found over the years I hadn't needed to replenish the stock. I haven't tested it with Crea because we found her bodies to be incompatible with the feathers despite the same soul occupying each one, albeit she was occupying _her_ chosen children's bodies. She underwent the same ritual as I did and she continues to do so within her line of family."

"_How did you gain access to your own feathers anyhow?"_ Mykage interrupted, busying his idle fingers by straightening out Apollonius' starched collar. For some incomprehensible reason he felt vicious satisfaction deep in the back of his mind at the insinuation that Apollonius' original wings rejected the other soul piece. He reasoned it might have to do with the fact that he was pleased he had chosen the right Apollonius to share bodies with, accidental as the selection had been.

He remembered when he first met 'Zen Fudo.' _"You never answered my question that time. Until recently the original Wings of the Sun was buried deep inside Earth as a substitute for the Tree of Life so the only time you would've been able to pluck the feathers would've been when the machine was still at your disposal."_ His brows furrowed. _"But even if you had access to Aquarion, you wouldn't have been able to do so when they were in their Vector form. Your wings—the other Sun—were installed in that fluid-filled jewels on Aquarion's head and chest piece, and both only manifested when there were three pilots in combat manning the controls. I'd never once seen you on the front line."_

"I had the cadets, and more importantly Apollo, practice gettai-ing and flying the machine in several configurations in combat simulations." He laced his fingers across his stomach, ignoring the traditional Japanese fabric they had brushed against on their journey there. "It wasn't difficult acquiring said feathers when I told them to stand still where they were and not disengage because something was acting up and only I and the DEAVA staff could fix it. A lot of things were taken apart and upgraded, and in the whole hullabaloo it wasn't hard making off with several of my old feathers."

"_I don't understand. We would've been able to sense any unusual presence of our brethren's feathers,"_ Mykage protested, trying to recall if there was ever a time he or the other angels felt something was wrong when he had been just Toma and Apollonius as Gen. Aside from Futaba's death, the only child angel that survived Atlantis' destruction 24,000 years before, and Futaba's wings installed in each of the Wingless' Military Vectors and one Wingless scum, they hadn't sensed any disturbances. The reminder of the Child Angel's merciless demise by the hands of filthy, greedy human researchers made Mykage feel both despondent and angry. Disguising his agitation beneath a frighteningly composed voice, he whispered, _"If you had acquired them and they were outside of the Machine Angel, we would've known."_

Apollonius' heterochromic eyes settled, alarmed, on the angel's face. There was something amiss about the forced tranquility. "Yes, that was the danger. However, Aquarion remained in DEAVA's headquarters and the feathers in _my_ possession. Because I spent so much time at HQ, their presence was masked by the overwhelming presence of those contained within the jewel."

"_I see. Yet the times the Wings of the Sun left your military base…there was no indication that you had some in your hands."_

"You and the others were preoccupied battling the cadets. Also, everyone else was under the impression Apollo was Solar Wing. There's also the fact several of my feathers were used to power up some of the old Military Vectors lying around Base. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are still around despite…" He fell silent, remembering the unnecessary death of an innocent Shadow Angel that didn't deserve to go the way he did. They were on opposing sides, yes, but the Shadow Angels treated Sirius de Alisia better than the human researching team had with the Child Angel.

"_Despite…?"_ Mykage drawled warningly, his gaze piercing as daggers. There was an abrupt vindictive air writhing around the astral projection's form, suffocating in both intensity and weight. He dug his nails into Apollonius' arm in attempt to steady himself.

Apollonius gritted his teeth and he stared resolutely into those indigo pools. He said regretfully, "Casualties in war are unavoidable and in order to make it in combat there must be discretion. I understand we are talking about the one that perished under unauthorized experimentation carried out by my Second's orders. I'm sorry that he died the way he did and I'm sorry I wasn't made aware of his situation until he was dead." His gaze softened. "While I definitely cannot condone the cruelty he suffered till his dying breath, he was another casualty of war. Either way he had to go. And unfortunately he didn't die on the battlefield. But even I'm aware he didn't need to die the way he did."

"_I hoped that at least opened your eyes to your beloved Wingless' true heartless nature,"_ Mykage whispered back bitterly. _"I hope now you realize they're not as pure as you romanticized them to be."_

"I know that I did in my previous life," Apollonius mumbled, his eyes downcast, "and I am sorry for all the grief I've caused you and the others." Inhaling a deep breath, he met Mykage's averted ones and held them. "But I couldn't sit back and let you harvest all those humans. There must be a balance. We were not made to take lives. We were created by the Creator to guard His many creations and pass along His Will and Judgment. Just because some are some bad apples in the bunch doesn't mean we can generalize them to the entire crops. They are imperfect, not created as we were. That's what makes them human. Their actions, however irrational and unkind they sometimes are, don't reflect their monstrosity. They're not defects."

"_I ceaselessly fail to comprehend your…affections for those lower-class scums."_ Mykage's mouth twisted down. _"They are nothing more than a plague that destroys everything they touch."_

"Nevertheless we fed off of those you call a plague," Apollonius reminded him, wrapping his mind around the petulant tone taken by the Shadow Angel. He didn't bother finishing that line of dialogue. The angel could hear the implication being made. That if they fed from scum, what were they?

Seeing how the angel wasn't about to go and change his mind, Apollonius decided to drag the topic back to somewhat safer waters. Sitting up and readjusting Mykage's position over his lap, he queried, "That aside, could you explain your fixation with me? I betrayed you. And backed off of fertilizing the Tree of Life. And broke my promise that I was going to make the Vow of Wings with you." He paused, rewinding his words internally. He hid a wince. "On second thought, never mind. I seemed to have answered my own question. Even I would've developed a complex toward me."

Indigo whorls stared into the heterochromic eyes silently, and Apollonius resisted the urge to squirm underneath that intent watch. Sliding his icy fingertips along the smooth tanned skin underneath, Mykage cupped Apollonius' face, his thumbs stoking the two jutting cheekbones. He seemed to be in a better mood, lifted from whatever spell had overcome him, as his expression gentled into something more…creepily tender. Eyelashes lowered, he murmured_, "My twin, I am heartened that you are attempting to understand my motives. You must realize…I was born with these feelings, the feelings Toma held for his beloved Apollonius. That means I was born with his hate and his love. For you."_

His mouth quirked up self-deprecatingly. _"And even you have to admit it was a low blow repaying me with not one but two betrayals. I was willing to forgive your indiscretion with that blonde harlot. I put myself at stake by petitioning the Council to cancel your execution and instead give you a different punishment. I requested Moroha to release your prized harlot because I knew she meant a lot to you. That Wingless pilot—Scorpius, was it?—had been executed before us and I knew you wouldn't be able to handle hers. It broke my heart seeing you in pain. And so, I disregarded my own because you meant so much to me. And what did you do? You refused me. _

"_Then came the time when I was brought back from stasis, my heart torn asunder with joy and pain at your supposed reawakening. When I thought he was you, 'you' fought me and it hurt every time I looked at 'you' and 'you' looked back at me with those empty eyes, crying out for 'Baron this' and 'Silvia that.' I gave 'you' back your companion. I originally wanted to retrieve our 12,000-year old love letter to spare 'you' from embarrassment from 'your' peers. When we piloted your Machine Angel, I sacrificed myself so that your beloved Earth was saved and I was content to die with the knowledge I was reunited with you, even if you loved another. But then you refused me. Again._

"_I died, forfeiting my life needlessly as the last Shadow Angel alive with your hound and half of the harlot's soul? While you remained alive, celebrating how convenient it was that I disappeared and your precious world was saved?"_ Mykage was a wreck, his face scrunched up into something horrible. His words were an angry hiss and it took all of Apollonius to remain silent. Apollonius bit back the dissent threatening to pour from his lips. He needed to hear this. No matter how much he disagreed with what's being said, he needed to hear this.

"_You're a selfish, lying, cheating lowlife with commitment issues."_ He laughed humorlessly. _"It begs to question why I still love you so much, you vain, egotistical, self-righteous knuckleheaded tool. A greater revenge and insult would be to forget all about you and love another. Otoha adored me—worshiped my very existence._

"_I kissed her, you know?"_ he added snidely, hoping to get a rise or any reaction—even if it was an eyebrow raised—out of Apollonius. _"Her lips were as soft as I'd imagined. Our kiss was so sweet, so amorous. I could feel her trembling against me. I could see her need to complete the Vow with me. I had CONSIDERED it."_

_Err_, Apollonius really didn't know how to respond to any of that. Perhaps a 'congratulations' or 'good going' was in order? Or was that too forward of him? _Okay, this is taking on an awkward bent_, he thought resignedly to himself. Insults to his person were acceptable. Being reminded how he was a terrible, terrible being was tolerable. Being told too much personal information that he didn't need to know…not quite so much.

Thankfully the 12,000 year old spirit wasn't done ranting. "_And when I endeavored to go through it, all I could think about was getting my revenge on you. And then Otoha said she loved me. SHE SAID SHE LOVED ME, APOLLONIUS!" _Mykage looked at him as if it was Apollonius' fault that she did. _"I couldn't subjugate her to that kind of false love. Not after how she had looked after me all those years, never straying by my side. Unlike you, she never once thought of betraying me. Her life was devoted to me and my every whim. If I told her I was starving, she wouldn't hesitate to bring me nourishment. If I was bored, she would always sing me a song or play a melody to entertain me. When I was sick, she nursed me back to health whenever you couldn't be bothered to take care of me. Where you left me brokenhearted and wretched, she was there to pick up the pieces. Where I was unable to fully hate you, she was there to hate you for me._"

Err!

"_And she was there when we first met,"_ Mykage's voice died down to a whisper. All the fight seemed to leak out of him and he collapsed on top of Apollonius. His head knocked lightly against Apollonius' chin. "_She was there when the Elders announced our engagement to the public. She was there reading our first 'real' letter exchanges and teasing me for being so nauseatingly affectionate. She was there when I asked her if she could believe I was the brother and betrothed to the Solar Wing, the Sun's Gift?_ _She was there listening to me rant for hours what a sight you made on the battlefield, massacring all those Wingless creatures with such skill and finesse. She was there when I returned from our tryst in the human world where you showed me all the wonders the world had to offer. She was there beside me when I was recovering from my wounds and you were out avenging me. She was there when I told her like the lovesick fool that I was that we had truly become lovers. She was there when I told her the first time that we had kissed, and the first time you finally initiated one. And she…she was there all the times I said I loved you when you weren't. When you were gone. And when you were truly 'gone.'_"

A soft noise escaped Apollonius' lips and he rubbed the small of Mykage's back, hoping to assuage his tension. Poor angel. Now he understood more behind the angel's infatuation for him. When he felt the body melt against him, he he slid a hand up to cup the nape of Mykage's neck. "Go on," he breathed against the exposed helix, the folded over outside edge of the ear. His thumb stroked languidly over the skin of the angel's neck. "If it'll make you feel better telling me everything you've wanted to say to me all those years but never got the chance to because I was a selfish bastard who only thought of himself, I'm listening now."

_And herself_, Apollonius added mentally to himself, adding to Crea's list of guilt that he knew that she would never feel for the affected parties. Smiling sadly, he asked, "What else?"

Mykage huffed, breathing hotly against Apollonius' cheek. He said in a subdued manner, _"That's all I had. I just wanted to yell at you for a bit. And then I caved in to nostalgia. I don't feel like yelling at you anymore._"

"Ah." Apollonius felt a smile curving up his lips. Mykage was cute. He was like the child that got drowsy after throwing a temper tantrum. Grinning broadly against the angel's ear, Apollonius offered, "Anytime you feel the need to yell at me, you're welcome to do so. Within the private confines of this room or when no one's around. I expect it'll be a bit distracting if you suddenly do so when I'm surrounded by other people."

Mykage was silent and then muttered a string of words that almost sounded unintelligible due to his quietness. _"…Why are you being so nice to me?"_

"Hmm?"

Drawing back, Mykage grasped Apollonius' shoulders. With a serious expression, he clarified, "_I said why are you being so…so accommodating? I did things I'm not proud of. It is within your right, however much it pains me, to loathe me. You flinch back when I touch you and I could tell you're forcing yourself to relax your guard around me. I am under no illusions that you love me as much as I love you. You even said so yourself that you wouldn't be able to. So why…why the effort?_"

_The nicer you are_, Mykage whispered across their link, _the more I'll fall deeper in love with you_. He wasn't aware that the mental connection had been closed off and with the meditative air around the High Commander, he assumed Apollonius was mulling over his words. His eyes roved up to gaze hungrily at Apollonius' face. He was waiting for the words that might be his salvation or dying grace.

Apollonius was startled by Mykage's observations. He'd been trying to suppress his automatic reactions to the angel's advances as best as he could, so that he wouldn't offend or startle him. His brows knitted. His entire plan could be jeopardized if Mykage found out his true intentions. Then he noticed the slightest fear hidden within those indigo depths as he surfaced from his inner musings and Apollonius felt himself wavering. It was so obvious that the supernatural entity was head-over-heels in love with the former Apollonius. He felt sorry that both Toma and Mykage fell for his past self, who admittedly had been a big jerk. He said slowly, "You understand although I have _his_ memories and _his_ soul, I am nonetheless the reincarnation of Apollonius? Kind of like how Silvia and Sirius were both Celiane, but split into two people each with their own wills and desires."

Mykage's head gave a small jerk back but then he nodded firmly. _"Honestly? At times you seem so much like him it's like talking to the former Apollonius. You also refer to him as yourself so I find myself confused. He is a special person to me."_

"He is a part of myself as much as I am a part of him," he replied sincerely. "I have his memories and he has mine. We share the same soul engraved with approximately two-thirds the same abilities and memories. That makes _him_ me. But at the same time I am my own person, Gen Fudo, the man born with a Shadow Angel's soul and memories, the same man who essentially led a very different life from the original Apollonius. While I remember Celiane and you, I did not know you two personally yet _he_ remembers so."

"_Is it troubling?"_ He studied the commander's tranquil visage. _"Having your memories interchangeable with the one you…Apollonius had?"_ He touched Apollonius' chest, feeling the warm heart beating against his skin. Mykage breathed, _"He is there…inside of you. I can feel him, you."_

"He is. But he is not a separate personality or anything of that sort. He's me. I do not hear his voice when I recall things. I hear _mine_. It's like in your situation but a bit more…detached." He blinked and rectified, "No, in fact, Crea and I resemble what you and Toma are. I know this is bewildering and I'm probably not making any sense regarding our newfound identity crisis but in Apollonius' case, we were once him so we are him and at the same time we are ourselves."

"_And that is why you flinch away from me?"_ Mykage asked quietly, his hand sliding down the length of the commander's lean body to grasp the warm, naked hand beside his lap. He curled his fingers around tanned ones. "_Because while you are Apollonius, you are yourself?_"

Apollonius glanced down at their entwined fingers but didn't make a comment about it. He gave Mykage's hand a small squeeze. "Reviewing his memories, while I cannot sense the feelings he held for either Celiane or you, I can infer he still felt something for the both of you. Actions speak louder than words, after all. Again, both he and I regret what we did all this years. But while I get the gist of his mind-set, what I like and don't like aren't exactly mirror-image to the ones he has. I personally don't know you. You are a stranger to me." He tapped the side of his head. "But in here, I know who you are."

"_But I don't know 'you,'"_ Mykage affirmed. "_We should rectify that."_

He would really prefer not to but…Apollonius nodded, squaring his jaw. "We are already in the makings of establishing a purely. Professional. Rapport. Truthfully I would favor putting the past behind us and stepping forward as Towano, Mykage and Fudo, Zen…but I understand reliving the past is important to you. That's why I need you to comprehend while our situations are unusual, we need to begin the pages of our new chapters together without our previous lives tying us down. We need to start anew, lest we fall back into the cycle of animosity and hate. You are half of Toma's soul. I am one of Apollonius' corporeal reincarnations. You must be tired of me repeating myself but…this is the distinction I want to emphasize clearly. We both are similar in that we have our past identities' memories and souls within us, but the intensity we identify with our past selves divulges here. Can we at least agree on that? If you desire so, both Crea and I can refer to you as 'Toma' or 'Mykage.' Whichever one suits you best. We'll leave that for you to decide."

Mykage smiled and he inclined his head coyly. _"Your terms are acceptable. But I have a condition of my own, if you'd kindly hear me out."_

"…Go on."

"_Permit me to continue calling you 'Apollonius,'" _Mykage delivered, his indigo gaze intently holding onto the steely heterochromic one. His voice was almost of a zealous slur as he beseeched, _"As reprisal for all those years of torment, allow me this simple revenge. I will be whoever you want me to be. Toma, Mykage, another name perhaps. I will be at your every beck and call. If you want me to address your dear other half as the name of the descendant she possesses, I will. If you want to preserve our peaceful cohabitation, I promise you I will not do anything to threaten our new bond. But you—Gen Fudo, 'High Commander Zen Fudo,' the reincarnation of my beloved Apollonius, the murderer of his own son and thousands of Wingless and brethren—are guilty of multiple counts of anarchism." _

The metaphysical projection was breathing rapidly now, a pleasured expression crossing those fair features. He was swaying on top of Apollonius' lap drunkenly, as if he couldn't help himself from experiencing the newfound high. He purred gleefully, _"This will be your sentence. You will no longer have the luxury of siphoning off the security of all those aliases in my presence."_

Apollonius fell silent, his expression closed off. The nausea building up in his gut had crawled up to the back of his throat with each insane statement spilling forth those lavender lips. He screwed his mouth shut, clamping down tightly till his lips were a thin white line.

Mykage giggled, bringing Apollonius' slack hands to his mouth and slowly kissing them like a husband would to his wife. "_Will you? Will you really! I'm so glad you agree, Apollonius. Dearly departed, we are gathered on this day in the attendance of these witnesses to mourn the passing of the deceased commanders Gen and Zen Fudo in honor of the beautiful estate that is Holy Matrimony, uniting these two persons present. Indeed, this happy occasion is ideal for 'a good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth,' isn't that right Apollonius?" _**(2)**

The hair on the back of Apollonius' neck rose at the singsong sentences professing their supposed concord. The angel was still chained to the past. 'What the eyes can see is but an enchantment, a delusion chaining one to the past,' he remembered saying that once long ago when the angel had questioned him where the mechanical vessel powered by the angel Apollonius' discarded wings was…and he also remembered feeling greatly insulted that he'd been told his son's body was ugly.

"_With this rebirth, we remind them that they are performing an act of complete faith each in the other; that the heart of their union will be the relationship they create," _Mykage continued, nipping at Apollonius' fingertip until skin broke and moaning at its delicious coppery taste filling his mouth. His lavender lips were coated with a smear of red and he lifted a slightly bloody smile. _"In a world where faith often falls short of expectation and betrayals remain unbridled, we hold these two self-evident in their pledge to always remain together as one._"

Eyes as wide as saucers, his survival instinct kicked in and Apollonius tore his appendages away. With much trepidation, he realized he could not scoot back so he watched warily, wildly as the angel continued smiling at him dazedly despite the swift separation. With fascinated horror, he found his eyes following the slick pink tongue slithering out of the confines of Mykage's mouth and leisurely drag itself across the coated rims before darting back into the orifice. Another pleasured purr escaped from Mykage and Apollonius was seriously, honestly starting to get freaked out. His spine bent back as far as it could from the other soul shard and it was a struggle to keep his lid closed in case the angel sensed his restlessness.

Mykage suddenly blinked and then noticed the space between him and Apollonius. _"Oh dear,"_ he tsked empathetically, knitting his brows. _"That position cannot be that comfortable. You could pull your muscles. We cannot have that, can we, Apollonius?"_ Looping an arm around the commander's waist, he hauled himself closer until they were touching chest-to-chest. As if that little episode hadn't happened, he purred, _"There, don't you feel better, Apollonius?"_

No, Apollonius did NOT feel any better to be trapped in near proximity with an obsessive psychopath whose moods changed from an endearing tyke's to a crazy stalker trying to force his affections on him because he was the reincarnation of the Solar Wing! Knowing better than to air his true thoughts though, he replied in a strained voice, "Don't you feel uncomfortable yourself maintaining that position for so long? The blood flow must've been cut off in your legs for the duration of our…conversation."

Mykage hummed pensively. _"They do feel numb."_

Wonderful.

Clearing his throat, Apollonius implored, "Do you have any further questions or concerns you need to be addressed? It's…" he took a sidelong peek at the hovering digital counter on his nightstand, "…03:41. This leaves me an hour or so to get some sleep before we have to get up and prepare to brief the cadets. Unlike yours, a human body has needs." He glowered at him. "If I want to wake up with a clear enough mind to speak articulately, I need rest."

"_Really?"_ he enthused. _"What a pity."_Apollonius stared at him and Mykage stared back. _"Well?"_

"Do you have any questions?" His exasperation was apparent.

"_I believe it's enough for today. Humans tire so easily. Get some rest,"_ he chided, pushing against Apollonius' shoulder gently. When the commander remained immovable, Mykage sighed and said, "_After hearing you grumble about needing your beauty sleep, now you decide you don't want any?_ _Fickle-minded hypocrites aren't attractive, beloved._"

"How long are you staying out?" came the deadpanned reply.

"_Oh?"_ Mykage raised a brow. _"That's what has you so worried? It's not like I'll do anything despicable to you when you're unconscious."_ He smiled sweetly. _"You can trust me."_

_The day I trust you is the day I trust a starving Crea not to make off with my favorite donuts lying out in the open_, Apollonius internally muttered to himself. Shaking his head off that thought, he said, "No, it's not that. Well, it kind of belongs to it. We do need to establish boundaries." He shook his head once more, berating himself for forgetting to mention that when he first woke up. "You don't feel fatigued? For how long can you stay out as a metaphysical projection before you feel the strain?"

"_I replenished my energy with the short nap I took inside you. You're very hospitable, you are aware? You feel quite warm."_

Uh. Apollonius rolled his eyes. Adrenaline from that moment was still pulsing through him. His nerves still high-strung, he waited to the angel to say more and he grew more irritated when Mykage didn't carry on. Well then. If that's how he wanted to play it. The only response Mykage got to his _own_ rhetorical inquiry was a small huff before Apollonius let himself fall back onto his bed, quickly rolling over to face the wall and pulling the covers over his lanky form.

The Shadow Angel restrained himself from laughing at the white bundle that still remained below him. _How precious_, he thought fondly. Sliding off, he dropped himself down beside the commander. He gazed up at the brown tuft of hair poking out from the thick bedding. Stroking the soft material of the cover—where Apollonius back would be if the blanket wasn't there—Mykage whispered, _"And you? You have any questions or concerns?" _He was returning the favor. After all, he'd been brought up to have manners.

When Apollonius remained unresponsive and still underneath the covers for an innumerable amount of time, Mykage resigned himself to thinking he had fallen asleep. His lashes were fluttering drowsily when suddenly a low, husky baritone rumbled disbelievingly, "_Our_ 12,000-year old love letter?"

He couldn't hold back the laughter this time. When the loud peals eventually settled down, Mykage huffed out an amused sigh when he sensed the commander was practically pouting at him judging by the distance put between them again and how the commander's head was buried fully into the sheets. Adorable. Really, Apollonius was adorable. Still chuckling, he murmured, _"Oh, don't be so petulant. I didn't mean to laugh at you, beloved. Your incredulity was so comical I couldn't help myself. Come back here. You're going to fall off the edge of your bed where you're at, Apollonius."_

But Apollonius remained stubbornly where he was. With another fond smile, Mykage dragged the cocoon back against him until he was virtually spooned against Apollonius, throwing an arm and a leg over the sheets. There. _"Are you still mad? I was surprised out of everything that could've been answered, that's the one thing you decided to ask me. It's not something you remember, is that correct?"_

He could hear incoherent grumbling underneath the cover and he felt some shifting against him before, at last, Apollonius deigned to poke his head out so as to stare sulkily at him. He teased, _"Even if 'you' insist 'you' are 'yourself,' you still act like an overgrown tot. You even now show uncanny resemblance. But that's not what you're so curious about."_ Mykage sighed dramatically, pressing his cheek against the exposed part of Apollonius' neck. Disregarding the resultant incessant grousing that they 'definitely needed to address personal boundaries' and how 'Crea was right, we need to talk about this, damn it,' closing his eyes Mykage asked, _"Is that all you have? For your sake, I hope it is. You have less time to get your rest the more questions you have for me."_

Making a tsking noise with his tongue, Mykage pondered how he'd go about explaining the existence behind the only remaining evidence of their once daily mail exchanges as he felt the reincarnation of his beloved acquiesce by nodding jerkily. "_I believed you had referred to the feather as a 'holy relic,' an 'arcane artifact from a holy scripture' long before. Yes, I believe so that you did. Based on the few memories you allocated for my viewing pleasure, I remember your other half recognized its familiarity and that was why you described it as is. _

"'_We must take the wishes from 12,000 years ago very seriously.' That was your words long ago._

"_A fitting name for a memory of our correspondence. Yes, yes I think I like it. Yes, let's call it our holy relic. It's certainly better than calling it our love letter, wouldn't you agree?_"

Apollonius interjected dourly, "A boulder can withstand a torrent of environmental abuse but time itself will wear it down. With the way you're describing it, I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up as a drawn out bed time story."

"_I want to draw this out as much as possible_," Mykage confessed, nuzzling against him. _"I want to remind you every single thing we did in our past lives. I want to make sure you forgot nothing."_

"It's out of the question. While I'm certainly curious, getting as much sleep as I can is more important than satisfying this trivial curiosity of mine. Mykage, if you're not going to enlighten me of…how its purpose came to be promptly, I'm going to fall asleep on you."

"…_Then I want to make a deal."_

"We already made one. I didn't even agree to it but here we are."

"_Apollonius, I want to tell you a bedtime story every night. Stories of everything we did and shared when we were together. Stories of the battlefield. Stories of our engagement. Stories of the lovely dreams I had both of my lives. For this night, I'll tell you how our holy relic came to be. I will summarize the main points in a short, condensed tale and if you are lulled to sleep by my voice, I will pick up where we left off tomorrow night. In return I ask you not to interrupt me while I'm reminiscing unless I tell you it is a night you can ask your questions."_ He shifted closer, letting himself be engulfed with the fragrance once more. Mykage yearned for Apollonius to embrace him back. He was so close. He was a temptation.

"_It is after all what you want, no? Is it presumptuous of me to long to share my innermost feelings with someone else who would understand where I'm coming from? When it's my most precious person? I won't feel as forlorn when there's a warm body willingly listening to me and you…you will gain greater understanding of our history and why I love you so much when the you-of-now cannot comprehend its sheer devotion and magnitude to your memory. You will learn more about me and the kind you used to belong to, and all I request is that you listen to the pathetic ramblings of a pining soul." _

Apollonius was soundless throughout his monologue and when Mykage stopped, he spoke up gruffly, "Is this one of those nights?"

Mykage smiled broadly against Apollonius' neck. "_No, today is only a brief story. Now, shhhh. _

"_Many a long years ago, when the Machine Angel and Cherubim Soldiers hadn't existed yet and you were still faithful to me, the newly christened Exalted Holy Angel missed his brother and betrothed terribly, so much so that there were many sleepless nights like this one. So one day he decided to give in to his desires and inscribe a letter into one of the feathers he plucked from his wings. It was a slow, painful process but he poured his love and veneration into it. His hope was invested in it. It was a sacrilegious act for no known records were to be kept of this powerful but private message. In the dead of night he transferred the feather to an accomplice to deliver it out of Atlandia when most were slumbering and the few Shadow Angels that up were preoccupied assigned for their duties, and he prayed with all his heart that it'd reach his intended._

_Several Harvests passed, and the angel was losing hope that it had reached his lover. By that time he was drowning in loneliness and he even missed the Solar Wing's harsh words. But came a day, to his astonishment, he found on his Scrying Desk the same feather, the same color and contour he recognized as his own. But it was sealed within amber. At first he assumed his post had been intercepted. But he wasn't aware of any punishment coming to him. He checked the Hall of Annuals but the feather remained unaware to others._

"_There was only one conclusion. Behind closed doors there was much trepidation when he dissolved the seal._" With the side of Apollonius' face exposed to him, Mykage traced the long scar overlaying the eye he'd mistaken to contain an iridescent iris. He tilted his head. Instead of iridescence, it was actually a medley of colors that reminded him of Vega, of what Earth used to look like before it split into two planets. Thankfully Apollonius was so far keeping quiet. "_He heard his beloved's voice and he felt his beloved's warm aura around him, comforting like basking in the sun's rays. His love was thanking him_ _for all the trouble the Holy Angel had gone through for him_, _and also for his feelings for him. His intended expressed his fondness for the angel and the angel felt his heart bursting with pride when 'he' admitted 'he' had missed him too."_

Mykage nervously licked his lips. "_That day when our holy relic fell back into your hands, you told everyone that anyone who dared touched my feather imbued with your bright energy was to be punished severely. Although you remained unconscious to its actual purpose, you must have sensed its familiarity. When you handled it, you felt residue of your past self and mine underneath your fingers. Your other soul half, Rena, was the one that remembered everything. But she didn't tell you._" Sensing that Apollonius about to dissent, he reached over and covered Apollonius' mouth. "_Shh, I understand your objection. She is a part of you after all and you've shared all your past memories together. But I know what I saw and your memory of that day was loud and clear to me._

"_That's all I have for today, Apollonius," _Mykage concluded, sighing in relief. "_You're a marvelous listener when you make the effort to listen to me._" Finally, after all the years anyhow, he thought bitterly.

Smelling Apollonius' natural cologne, he mumbled softly, "_Apollonius, in this life, in this new body of yours, although you are theoretically Wingless I still think you are a wonderful creature. I can sense your dread every time I approach you yet you ALLOW me this luxury. Despite being a new person, you RESPOND to me like how 'my Apollonius' would…to make me feel welcomed, unthreatened. _

"_Your other half is as cautious as you are around me but still she makes an attempt—however poorly done—to play nice. But you, you my lovely, gave me so. Much. More. And that is why…_"

He pressed his lips against the exposed shell of Apollonius' ear. _"…you, willingly giving yourself as an offering to me, to this god, I will never let you go. We will never part. Ever. Again."_

* * *

The digital counter glowed a dim blue 04:02 and Apollonius was perched up on his elbows studying Mykage's sleeping form. There was a content smile playing on the angel's lips and, probably for the first time of his miserable life, Mykage looked peaceful. Apollonius scrubbed his tired eyes. After Mykage's words, he couldn't fall asleep. So all this time he had pretended to doze off until finally, finally Mykage had given way to his dreams and had reflexively loosened his grip on Apollonius. What occurred afterward involved a very delicate procedure where he had to disentangle himself from those long limbs without waking the angel up. By the time he had succeeded in escaping, the sun still had not yet ascended so the room remained bathed in shadows.

On his bed, to his eyes the pale skin of metaphysical spirit appeared to shine with a soft brilliance against his old mattress. It was almost as if the creature was the one light in this world that remained untouched by the darkness around them. The High Commander observed the steady rise and fall of the angel's chest for a while, ruminating in his seemingly calm thoughts. He exhaled noisily.

"Never let me go, huh?" he muttered the words to himself, ghosting his fingers across the sensitive tips of the apparition's avian locks. The angel had said he was 'wonderful,' that he was special because he had 'offered' himself to the vengeful spirit. He scoffed at that. At the sound, Mykage's face knitted into a troubled expression. Apollonius stilled.

Even in his dreams the angel sought him out.

With an unintelligible murmur, Mykage unconsciously snuggled closer, burrowing against the only close source of heat available to him. A pleased sigh seeped from Mykage's mouth. Apollonius smirked acrimoniously. "You're arrogant to a fault, Shadow Angel."

Apollonius' eyes fell on top of the parted lavender lips puffing hot air against his collarbone. The angel's lips had always been a source of fascination for the previous 'Apollonius.' When Mykage had been Toma, whenever he deigned to impart his blessings or use his voice the human way, they would mysteriously become a darker shade of pink. It was a color one might expect after passionately kissing, swollen lips and all that aside. For some reason, the color reminded 'Apollonius' of the pinky cherry blossoms in the area where Japan would come to be called, when 'he' had been assigned patrol on Earth. It wasn't until 'he' met Celiane and watched her apply lip gloss once that 'he' realized that was why she occasionally reminded 'him' of his betrothed.

Frowning at the memory, Apollonius gave into his curiosity. He lightly prodded the angel's mouth—his lips felt surprisingly plush and soft—and then withdrew his finger for careful examination. Squinting in the dark, he gave an amused sigh when he didn't make out a lavender stain on his skin. So it wasn't lipstick, as he had assumed. Or juice. It was a natural shade of Mykage's mouth. Which, in Apollonius' personal opinion, was bizarre.

Discounting the hair, mouth coloring, and concealed wings, Mykage physically resembled a human being. If Apollonius hadn't known any better, he would've assumed he was lying beside another man. Or a woman. He blinked. Or a feminine-looking man. Yeah, that made much more sense. Tucking his jaw against a fist, Apollonius scrutinized every inch of the angel from head to toe.

(He didn't know if he'd be able to do this as blatantly as he was now once Mykage regained consciousness. Truth be told, he most likely wouldn't want to if Mykage was awake. It wouldn't be a surprise to him if Mykage took his innocuous interest as an invitation. He stifled a groan. He _definitely_ didn't want that. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts.)

Wearily his eyes lingered on the bulky Japanese ceremonial robes. Besides the coloring of his mouth, Mykage's attire was equally odd. Wherever the angel got his flashy fashion sense from, he had gotten it when 'Apollonius' no longer existed. The previous Toma wouldn't be caught dead wearing what he was now. To his knowledge, Apollonius was under the impression that Toma had preferred muted, neutral colors. Mykage's thighs were pressing uncomfortably against Apollonius' knees and this drew his concentration down to those dark knee-high boots. This was another thing he thought was weird about Mykage.

As Shadow Angels, they had always hovered above the ground. Because of that many of their kind remained shoeless. The ones that didn't would prefer something simple, like sandals. They were easier to make without taking much from God's creations. Even the 'Apollonius' in his memories had gone barefoot…most of the time.

He wondered why Mykage was of a different mindset.

Apollonius sighed once more and got rid of himself of that trivial deliberation. Gazing at Mykage's slender ankles, another questioning matter came to him and his thoughts stuttered to an awkward stop. He felt his cheeks redden. Um, well, he might as well. His attention was slowly was brought back up to where the apex of those legs led, to the area where Mykage's genitalia would be. His gaze grew calculating.

Cadet Sazanka Bianca had been right when she had referred to Mykage as a hermaphrodite. Or, at least, Apollonius assumed Mykage was. Shadow Angels, unlike humans, were born encased in a body predominately female or male, but they also contained both male and female parts within them. **(3) **Toma and 'Apollonius' had fallen in the latter category and so, following their customs, were referred to as their prevailing gender. The High Commander drummed his nails against his jaw in thought. In theory, Mykage should also be in the same position because of his species. But how he came into existence was an abnormal process—added to that, he was sheathed in Zen's body which was male all around—so Apollonius wasn't sure. But the spirit had said he owed him a Vow of Wings. That would suggest Mykage was capable of giving birth. And birth was sacred to the Shadow Angels' culture so making light of such capability was almost blasphemous.

Actually it now made a lot of sense why the Toma of the alternative universe had been so enraged when he had miscarried. Apollonius' heart had gone out to him (at that moment, he'd been almost moved to tears by the pity he'd felt for Toma whereas Rena had been analyzing the fight stonily). However unintentional it was, Apollo was largely at fault for killing their offspring. And it was also an oversight on Toma's part because the angel should have known better. The primordial Vow of Wings was a venerated, powerful pledge two angels made, vowing their eternal devotion and requiring the complete synchronization of thoughts and emotions for one another. If one's intensity of feelings didn't match the recipient's or wasn't intended for that person, the ritual was meant to fail. Apollo only had eyes for Silvia so Toma got too full of himself by thinking Apollo had consented to impregnate the angel, as if their friendly fight suddenly made Apollo "love" Toma. Which was far from what had happened.

Had Apollonius been in Apollo's place, even with his memories, were he to have loved his descendent like Apollo did, even he was certain the ritual would've failed.

Maybe Toma didn't know this. Maybe that was why Mykage had been under the impression the Vow could be made with the Apollonius-in-Zen's-body. The Vow of Wings wasn't that easy to commit to. Because they were essentially creating new life, a god's power and a gift that had been blessed to His creations, there must be conscious consent and love from both angelic parties willing to undergo the sacred rite for it to work.

If it were true, that explained everything. Apollonius groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Exhaustion crept into his bones. Of course the angel would be unaware of this condition. Because no one treated the ritual frivolously and no one—until 'Apollonius,' that is—had fell hard for another being—a Wingless, no less!—it was expected that Toma might've fallen under the popular misimpression. Unlike 'Apollonius' who had been told time and time again that since he was the Solar Wing, he had to fertilize the Tree of Life and to pass that special trait on through his son or daughter—and therefore it was expected of him to have read more into the specifics of the ritual—Toma, who only knew what he knew based on observance of bonded angels, most likely guessed that as long as you were Winged, you were able to participate. Besides needing to discuss the importance of personal space ASAP, a reeducation of Shadow Angel customs was in order (both needed to be brought up as diplomatically as possible).

Doubtfully eyeing Mykage, Apollonius settled back down on his side of the bed, once more situated as far as he could out of the angel's reach without falling off the bed. Heterochromic eyes glittering with resolution, he firmly promised to the sleeping angel, "I'll show you wonderful."

* * *

**Notes:**

**(1)-** This point made about wings is important for future chapters. I will touch upon this again and again because a central part of the plot revolves around this concept.

**(2)**- A mixture of matrimonial rites and funeral sermon and a whole lot of Mykage-bugfuckery. Feminine and delicate as he looks, he's still the same sadistic fragment we all know and hate. He's not insane (thus far), but he's a sinister metaphysical entity who's obsessed with all things Solar Wing. In case some of you were curious, the verse belongs to _Ecclesiastes 7:1 NIV_.

**(3)- **Angels actually have been said to be of neither sex…so I was puzzling initially over which pronouns to refer to Apollonius and Toma and Mykage as. Or, at least, some people also have said angels could be asexual and have no reproductive organs at all. And then there are others that say they are hermaphrodites. In the OVAs, Toma was impregnated once…so I would assume although he was referred to as a "he," he had, if not similar to, a womb. And then I generalized. So here I tried writing a rational description, mixing the animes' contingency and the many biblical interpretations of what angels are, here in the most unerotic way possible.

**Review Responses:**

_Ayame. Tenou_- Close, very close actually :) I agree, cliffhangers are the worst invention ever to be made! It's an evil, evil tool writers use to torment us innocent readers. Yet it's also quite fun when you're not on the receiving end, muahhahahaha. As you can see, there are many twists I will continue making. But thank you for your interest in _Ad Infinitum_. It is reviewers like you that make me want to continue writing this story!

_xNINJABLADE45x_- Be assured, wherever I plan to take this, this story will be quite titillating. And hopefully reasonable/ as canon as possible.

_Guest (1)_- Those are the best compliments anyone could give me, especially regarding this story! But regarding the plot, there are things I will eventually reveal that I realize may be sensitive to some people…but there is reason behind my madness. For example, I have two things further down the story that will be based on the angels,' uh, interpretive genders. I think. One will lead to a very heartbreaking scene so I'm still puzzling if I should do that one.

_A fan (Guest 2)_- Wow, um, whoever you are, you made me blush. Thank you so much for your well-thought out review! Lengthy ones are especially so rare…that's why it's so touching to me that you'd be willing to go through the effort of pouring all your thoughts and emotions. I couldn't stop smiling as I reread it to give myself motivation. (I honestly was really happy when I read yours and you were the one that inspired me to finish this chapter.) And yes, I did intend to make Zen as Neo-DEAVA's resident father figure. And the "crush" was not something I had thought of…but it is an interesting idea to consider. I could see Zessica having a little crush on him. –laughs- By the way, it's my intention to redeem every single character while keeping them as canon as possible. I don't intend for, let's say Mikono, to suddenly gain a personality switch.

_Hichitsuki-hime_- Aww, well the whole reason why I wrote this was because while I'm grateful for director Kawamori (and I guess Chinatsu Kurahana, the designer that worked on the male characters) for breathing life into these characters, the anime was too full of fanservice/ plotholes to properly tie up loose ends. So I feel the same way, darling! I hope you enjoy future chapters because this plotbunny hasn't been tranquilized just yet! (Psst, to make up for my hiatuses, I've decided to write longer chapters so you'd have something to savor while I torture you all with my slowness.)

_ShiroHachikuji_- Heehee, isn't it amusing? Thanks for your interest in this story btw.

**Next chapter:** real plot commencement. See you soon, lovelies!


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